Driving in Cars With Boys
by sentbyfools
Summary: F&F AU. Detective Emma Swan is sent undercover to see who is ripping off truck drivers. She knows that it must be someone in the street racing world, run by Captain Hook and his crew, so she infiltrates his gang, intending to find the culprits. She never thought that she'd get so caught up in him and his world that she'd risk everything, her career, her life, for him.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **Driving In Cars With Boys

**Summary: **Fast and the Furious AU. Emma/Killian. LAPD detective Emma Swan is sent undercover to see who is ripping off truck drivers before the truck drivers start to take matters into their own hands. She knows that it must be someone in the street racing world, run by Captain Hook and his crew, so she infiltrates his gang, intending to find the culprits. She never thought that she'd get so caught up in him and his world that she'd risk everything, her career, her life, for this one-handed criminal.

**Notes: **For the sake of making the storyline make sense, Neal and Henry don't exist in this verse. I will try to update this once a week until it's completed.

* * *

It's a Thursday night in LA, and Emma Swan pulls up beside a line of tricked out sports cars. She peeks out of her car. It's a massive party, people hanging out around their cars drinking and smoking, and Emma's yellow beetle sticks out like a sore thumb next to all the fancy racing cars. She feels slightly uncomfortable, but she'll just have to get over that. Emma is here to do her job, not look good. She takes a moment to collect herself before stepping out of her car.

Less than five minutes have passed since she stepped out of her car and made her way down the line when a man comes up to her. He's short, a little overweight, but there's a cunning in his gaze that tells her she shouldn't let his looks fool her.

_Money collector,_ she thinks.

"Are you here to watch the races? I haven't seen your face before," he says, openly leering at her.

"I'm not here to watch," Emma says succinctly.

"And what's a pretty lady like you driving around in a car like that for?" he says, jabbing a thumb in the direction of her beetle.

Emma pulls a face at him, feeling protective of her yellow bug. She pulls out her cash, and she says, "My car's not your business. What is your business is whether I'll be racing this evening."

"Race in _that_?" He gives her a dumbfounded look, smacking on the gum in his mouth obnoxiously. "Honey, you won't make it past the starting line."

"Am I in or not?" Emma says, moving as if to put her money back away. It's 500 dollars; if he doesn't take it, then she'll have to go up. She really doesn't want to have to do that.

"W-w-w-wait. You're in," he says, snatching the money from her hands greedily. He paws at the cash as he counts it out. Satisfied at the amount, he nods at her, an obnoxious grin plastered on his face.

Emma's face twists in disgust, and she says, "Are we racing here?"

"Yeah, the cops are dealing with a shoot-out on 165th. They won't care about a little street-racing tonight."

"Right," Emma says. She turns to leave, but there is a man blocking her exit. Before she can move around him, the man turns and grins at her.

Upon seeing those bright blue eyes and that wide smile, Emma steels herself and waits.

* * *

"Killian Jones, although you'll probably know me better by my crew name - Captain Hook."

Killian extends his good hand towards the new racer in greeting. _Racer might be too generous a term,_ he thinks as he glances at her yellow beetle. The ponytailed blonde doesn't take his proffered hand, eyeing his hook curiously before returning her gaze to his face.

"I know who you are," she says. She places her hands on her denim clad hips, an expression on her face that clearly says that she is unimpressed. _Well_. Killian smirks; he always did like a challenge.

"And your name might be, love?"

She grins then, a wide smile that sends a surprising shot of warmth racing down Killian's spine - not unlike the thrill he gets when he first puts his foot on the gas.

"I'm Emma Swan," she says, taking a step forward, "and I'm the one who's going to take you down."

"Well, sweetheart," He pauses and licks his lips as he gives her and her junky little beetle a careful once-over, "Catch me if you can."

They both access each other for a long silent moment which Killian breaks.

"I don't believe I've actually extended you a welcome - Welcome to the races," Killian adds, sidling up closer beside her. "Hope you enjoy your stay, although that car you pulled up in isn't going to get you far."

"We'll see," she says, sounding bored.

Killian laughs. "Oh you're a tough lass, aren't you?"

Emma doesn't respond to that, turning her head away at the sound of someone's crew and their loud antics. When she turns back, she is smiling slightly.

"Shouldn't you be getting ready for the race?" she asks.

Killian inclines his head at her. "I am, but first allow me the honor of escorting you to your car."

She shakes her head, giving him another smile that says she isn't having any of it.

"See you at the finish line," she says. She walks around him and back to her yellow bug, and Killian watches her, unabashedly staring at the way her tight jeans hug her hips and the way her shirt rides up beneath her leather jacket, revealing soft-looking skin.

He groans to himself, forcing his eyes away from her. It's been a long time since anyone has caught his attention like this. He'd almost forgotten how it felt to be truly attracted to someone.

Grinning, he walks back to his car. Smee is waiting by it, looking as sniveling as usual. Killian's grin leaves his face, replaced with a frown.

"Is my car ready?"

"Everything's taken care of; I made sure of it myself," Smee says.

Killian presses a hand to the side of his car, his baby, the one and only Jolly Roger. No other car could compare; he'd made sure of that. Killian had perfected his car with his own hands; He'd built his baby from the ground up.

He pats the freshly painted car gently. Then, he turns back to Smee.

"You're still here, why?" Killian asks.

Smee gives him a wide-eyed look and then says, "I just - who is _she?_"

"Who?" Killian says even though he knows perfectly well who Smee is talking about.

"The girl in the junker," Smee says.

"My downfall apparently," Killian murmurs to himself, and then says, loud enough for Smee to hear him, "Her name is Emma Swan, and I want you to do some research on her, make sure she is who she says she is."

"You don't trust her?" Smee says.

"Now, now, Mr. Smee, it's not a matter of trust. It's a matter of safety," Killian says. "We don't want any cops showing up here, do we?"

Smee nods vigorously and scurries off. A gunshot rings through the air, signaling the racers that the race is about to begin. Killian climbs into his car, takes a moment to switch out his hook for his prosthetic hand and put it away in his glove box. He then pulls up to the starting line. The yellow beetle pulls up beside him.

Killian lowers his window and beeps his horn to make her look over. Emma lowers her window in turn.

"Yes?" she calls out.

"I just wanted to wish you good luck," Killian says.

Emma smiles. "I don't need luck," she says and with that, she rolls her window back up again, turning her attention back to the road.

Killian chuckles to himself and waits for the race to begin.

* * *

The racers line up at the starting line. Emma's engine purrs restlessly. Soon, she'll be going up against the top street racers in the state. She knows her car can do it despite all the evidence to the contrary. She hasn't put in all that practice, the retrofitted tires and the souped up engine for nothing. She smiles to herself. The other racers are laughing at her and her beetle now, but they won't find it so funny when she leaves them choking on her dust.

Emma grips the steering wheel, takes a deep breath in and out as she waits.

"Go," the man who she gave her money to earlier yells.

Emma puts her foot to the gas and takes off. She doesn't go too fast, not yet. She reaches the first curve in third place, two places ahead of the slowest racer. She glances in her rearview mirror and then presses her foot down harder on the gas.

When she rounds the next curve, she cuts off yet another racer. Emma gets a horn blown at her retaliation, and it makes her laugh. The thrill of the race is already getting to her. She needs to keep a level head though, so she takes another deep breath and doesn't take her eyes off the prize. In fact, her eyes barely leave Hook's car as she speeds down the mostly empty streets.

She hits yet another curve and comes up right beside Hook's car. She glances over at him just in time to see him grinning at her. He pulls away and ahead of her. They're only halfway through the circuit, leaving her plenty of time to catch up. She relaxes back into her seat and fingers the NOS. She doesn't want to use it yet, and if she doesn't need to, she won't.

Killian's car is fast though, it's sleek design made for racing. Even though she hates to admit it, despite all the work she has had done to it, Emma's car just isn't built for racing.

And that's why she has the NOS.

_Almost to the finish line_. She flips the switch on the NOS, and her car speeds up, over taking Hook's. She can almost feel her tires burning beneath her. Her car is moving so fast her sight is blurring. She doesn't even want to look at the speedometer.

She is so close to winning, but then, somehow, Hook's car is right beside hers again. In the end, she isn't sure whose car crosses the finish line first, she just knows that she needs to know how he did it, how he managed to pull up right beside her when she was using NOS.

She pulls to a stop beside him and gets out of the car at the same time as him.

"How'd you do it?" they both say at the same time.

Hook laughs, running a hand across his face. "You nearly beat me."

"I did beat you," she says with more certainty than she feels.

He makes a face, and then says, "Okay, so neither of us really knows who crossed that finish line first, do we?"

Emma is quiet for a moment. Finally she replies, "No."

"I knew it," he says just as the man holding the money runs up beside him.

"Captain. I -"

"Yeah, we know, Jason. We're just gonna call it a tie?" he says. He looks up at Emma and says, "Is that cool with you?"

Emma shrugs. "I'd prefer a rematch."

Hook gives her a wide grin. "I was hoping you'd say that. Should we go now or -"

"Already way ahead of you," Emma says, climbing back into her car. She is about to make a u-turn and head back to the starting line when police alarms sound.

_Shit_.

_Keep an eye on Hook_, that's what she came here to do, but with these police cars swarming around...

_Shit._

"Everybody go!" Hook shouts over the noise of dozens of engines roaring to life. Emma watches as he jumps into his car and speeds off down the street.

Emma follows quickly behind as chaos erupts around her, cars going off in a million different directions as everyone tries to outrace the cops. One of the cop cars gets between her and Hook's car. She curses and makes a quick decision to go down another street and try to cut them off without losing Hook's car.

When Emma comes up the street that she thinks he would've gone down, she curses again. Hook is nowhere in sight.

And then she spots him. He has ditched his car and Emma is about to pull up to him and offer him a ride when a cop car speeds down the street and spots him first. Hook takes off at a run, and Emma follows as he turns down a narrow alley.

Emma follows, cutting off the police car before it can make its way down the alley. Hook looks at her in surprise when she drives up to him.

"Get in," she says to him.

He doesn't need to be told twice. He jumps into the passenger side of the car and Emma takes off. She takes the corner out of the alleyway sharply, narrowly avoiding getting hit by a car speeding down the street. The cop isn't as lucky as her. She glances in her rearview mirror, briefly catching sight of the crash that she can here occurring loudly behind her. She breathes a silent prayer that no one is too badly injured and then turns her attention back to the road.

Two cop cars come up in front of her, trying to cut her off. She swerves to the left and then to the right and slides through in the small space between them. She resists making a congratulatory fist pump just yet. She can still hear sirens around her. She turns down the first street she sees and then goes straight until she can no longer hear them.

"I think they're gone," Hook says.

Emma slows down and glances at him. Hook looks oddly pleased with himself, considering Emma just had to save his ass from getting arrested. She lets out an annoyed huff of air, fingers gripping the steering wheel tightly.

"What are you so happy about?"

"A beautiful woman just whisked me away in her car - why shouldn't I be happy?" he says with a chuckle.

"Oh, shut up," she says.

He laughs again. "I don't mean to upset you, Emma, but we make quite the team."

"Team?" Emma scoffs. "I did all the work."

"Speaking of..." He trails off. Emma glances at him again, looking away quickly when she sees him staring at her.

"What?"

"How'd you learn to drive like that?"

Emma's mouth slides into a grim line. She doesn't answer.

"You don't have to tell me, but if you want to continue to take part in my world, you will," he says, the underlying threat abundantly clear.

She sighs, "I did time. Jacked a few cars, got caught, end of discussion." She pauses, and then she asks tiredly, "Where am I going?"

Hook gives her his address and Emma starts the drive there, hoping for some silence. Her hopes aren't answered as Hook continues, "How long?"

"Two years in juvie," she says without looking at him.

"I did two years too. Hard time, though. I wasn't a kid," he says.

Emma glances at him yet again. He is looking out the window of the car, head leaning on the elbow resting on the open window.

"For what?" Emma says, although she already knows. She has been through his file a billion times. She knows him inside and out.

"For giving a man what he deserved," Hook says forcefully.

"And what did he deserve?" she asks.

Her question is met with only silence.

They stop at a red light and she turns to look at him. He is leering at her, and to Emma's outrage, it doesn't exactly bother her.

_Stop it, stop this now_, she thinks at herself. She turns back from him, glaring.

"You're not as charming as you think you are," she says more to herself than to him.

"Who said I was charming?" he says. "Those words never left my mouth."

They continue their drive in silence, and Emma is eternally grateful for that, although she can feel Hook's eyes on her the whole ride.

"Wanna get a burger?" Hook says as she pulls up in front of his house. Outside, one of his men is grilling burgers, and she can see definite signs of a party going on inside. Emma has seen his house in stakeout photos, but she wants to get a good look at it from the inside. Maybe she can pull up some info on the truckers' robberies, and as it is, she's starving.

"Sure," she says and cuts the engine.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: **Driving In Cars With Boys

**Summary: **Fast and the Furious AU. Emma/Killian. LAPD detective Emma Swan is sent undercover to see who is ripping off truck drivers before the truck drivers start to take matters into their own hands. She knows that it must be someone in the street racing world, run by Captain Hook and his crew, so she infiltrates his gang, intending to find the culprits. She never thought that she'd get so caught up in him and his world that she'd risk everything, her career, her life, for this one-handed criminal.

**Notes: **Thank you to everyone who has favourited, followed, and reviewed this story so far. This chapter is shorter than the last so I thought there was no point sitting on it for a week. Thanks to legosaurusrex for the beta. Any remaining mistakes are my own. And lastly, reviews are always appreciated.

* * *

"Want a beer?" he asks as they make their way up the yard. He waves a hello at the man doing the grilling.

Emma nods at the man who smirks at her as if to say, "I know what you're up to." Emma doesn't like that look, so she rolls her eyes at him, mouths "Not happening," and then turns back to Hook.

"Not happening?" Hook says. He raises his eyebrows at her, a knowing smirk on his face.

She stops and so does he. She presses her hands to her hips, adopting a defiant stance. "Yeah, just to make it clear, you and me - Not. Happening."

"Got it," he says with a nod. He spreads his arms out towards the door and says, "After you."

She walks ahead of him and into the house's living room. It's raucous inside, people making out on the couch, shouting at whatever game is on TV, and drinking. Looking around, Emma notices there are no pictures on the walls. It's relatively clean, considering the state of the party guests, and orderly.

"Nice place," she says to Hook.

"Thanks," he says. "It doesn't really look like I live in it though, does it?"

Emma laughs. "No, it doesn't," she agrees.

"Hook!"

"Captain!"

"Who's the girl?"

The shouts come from all over as the drunken guests start to notice their host.

"Boys!" Hook shouts back at them. "And ladies," he adds, nodding at the few women scattered around the room.

"Glad you're enjoying my party!" he shouts.

His words are followed by loud whistles and happy cries.

"Too bad I wasn't here to get it started," he says, his tone shifting entirely, an underlying menace to his Irish brogue that makes the room go quiet.

"I - we were gonna call to see if you were alright," one of the men says.

"Yeah," another echoes.

"I could've been caught for all you knew. In fact, I nearly was. Luckily for me, this wonderful _woman_ came to my rescue. No one in my actual crew did, but at least I could rely on someone I'd only just met to save my ass from prison," Hook continues.

"Enjoy the party!" he says, the glee back in his tone. He captures Emma's hand in his good one and leads her through the living room, into the kitchen. After a couple of long, silent minutes, the party starts back up again.

"Your beer," Hook says, releasing her hand and opening the fridge. He pulls out two beers and hands one off to her.

"Thanks," she says. "Sorry your crew sucks."

He chuckles. "They're usually much better than this. It's my fault actually. I've taught them how self-sufficient I am, and now they think I'm invincible. It's my fault for being too perfect."

"Too perfect?" Emma laughs. "That's funny."

"You don't think I'm perfect?"

She pats him on the arm in mock pity. "I've only just met you and I know you're far from perfect."

"Ouch, darling, that hurts," he says, clutching his chest as if physically wounded.

Emma looks him up and down. He looks good in his denim jeans and blue button down, and she suddenly doesn't blame herself for being minimally attracted to him. He _is_ attractive; it isn't her fault if she notices and reacts to that.

"I see you don't drive with your hook," Emma says, eyeing his prosthetic hand. She takes a swig of her beer as she waits for his response.

"And end up cutting something open, no, I don't drive with my hook," he says, chuckling.

"How'd you lose the hand?" Emma asks, "Or is that something else you're unwilling to answer?"

Hook grimaces at her. "A man took it from me."

Emma nods. _That would be the same man you nearly beat to a pulp, I gather,_ she thinks, but she doesn't voice the thought aloud.

What she says instead is, "So why _do_ you wear the hook? And what's with all this Captain Hook nonsense, seriously, it's like you're living in Neverland."

Hook laughs. "Emma, lass, that's the fun of it."

"Right, of course. Why didn't I think of that?"

He reaches out his hand and tucks a stray hair behind her hair, fingers ghosting over her skin. Emma, realizing that she's falling into his touch instead of away from it, pulls away quickly, but not before memorizing the feeling of his hand against her skin.

_Shit_, she thinks. _Shit._

"I need to go," she says.

Hook raises an eyebrow at her. "You just got here, and you haven't even eaten yet. Stay for your burger at least and then I'll get you on your way."

She considers it for a moment and then concedes. She is hungry after all. "Okay," she says and allows him to pull her back through the house and outside.

"Burgers done yet?" Hook asks, releasing her hand, the warmth remaining as a pleasant tingle on Emma's skin. She looks down at the hand as if he's done something to it, but no it's exactly as it was before - but then why does it feel so different?

"Cheese or no cheese?" the griller asks.

"Cheese," Emma says.

He hands her a cheeseburger on bun and then hands one to Killian.

"This isn't a burger," she says when Killian turns his attention back to her.

"What do you mean?" he asks, giving her a quizzical look.

"It's just cheese, meat, and a bun. Where are the tomatoes? The mayo? The pickles and onions?"

Killian stretches his hand out, indicating that she should give him the burger. "Coming right up, milady," he says.

"Don't call me that," she calls after him as he heads back inside. She thinks to follow him, ask to go to the bathroom and go do a quick search of his bedroom, but there are too many people here. She wouldn't hear it if he came looking for her, and she does not want to get caught.

So, she stays outside and watches as the griller flips another burger. The smell of the cooking meat makes Emma's mouth water and she silently wishes that Killian would hurry it up.

"You his new girl or what?" The griller asks.

"What? No - I am not his new girl. I'm just another racer."

"That's what the last girl said too. She wasn't nearly as fast or as skilled as you though. I believe you," he says.

"You believe me? Oh, _that's _nice to hear," Emma says, rolling her eyes in annoyance.

"Whoa there, I didn't mean to upset you. I'm just stating what I've seen and what the norm is around here. Hook likes the racer girls and they like him too, but I can already tell that you don't fit that mold."

"Thanks a lot," she says just as the door slams open behind her and Killian reemerges with his and her burgers.

"Awesome," she says and takes it out of his hand. She takes a large bite into the juicy burger, letting out a low moan of delight.

Killian clears his throat beside her and says, "Enjoying the burger?"

"Mmhmm," she says, mouth full of food.

When she finishes her burger and her beer, she says, "I really do have to go now. It's late and I'm exhausted."

Killian sighs. Pouting, he says, "If you really have to...Come by the shop tomorrow, I have a proposition for you."

"You have business cards?" Emma says, surprised when he hands her the tiny white card.

"I try to keep things professional," he says with a wink.

"Of course, _Captain_," she says, mocking him with a smirk. He grins at her in return, obviously amused.

"See you tomorrow then," he says.

"Later," she calls without looking back. If she does, she's not sure how she'll react. She feels weird - their interactions were _weird_. She'd enjoyed herself and that was weird. She'd been around men like him all her life and had long since stopped enjoying their company, but there was something about Hook.

_Whatever_, she thinks.

As soon as she gets into her car, she puts the key in the ignition and speeds off. When she is sure she is a good distance away from his house, she pulls over and parks the car.

She pulls out her cell phone and dials the number.

"J&J Pharmaceuticals," the woman on the other line says when the call is picked up.

"Badge number 37296," Emma says.

"Hold please," the woman says.

The phone clicks and then a moment later, a male voice answers, "Detective Swan?"

"I'm in."


	3. Chapter 3

**Title: **Driving In Cars With Boys

**Summary: **Fast and the Furious AU. Emma/Killian. LAPD detective Emma Swan is sent undercover to see who is ripping off truck drivers before the truck drivers start to take matters into their own hands. She knows that it must be someone in the street racing world, run by Captain Hook and his crew, so she infiltrates his gang, intending to find the culprits. She never thought that she'd get so caught up in him and his world that she'd risk everything, her career, her life, for this one-handed criminal.

**Notes: **The more I write of this fic, the easier it is to write. Hopefully should be finished within the next two weeks or less.

* * *

Hook wakes up in a sweat and with a fever in his blood that is impossible to ignore. Groaning, he curses and climbs out of bed. He heads into the bathroom and turns on the shower to ice cold . He strips out of his boxers and gets in to the shower. He ignores the shivers that overtake him. He needs the cold to soothe the ache in his cock.

_Damn that Emma Swan_, he thinks. Yesterday evening, she was haunting his waking moments, today it's his dreams and he has only just met her.

_She's already gotten to me._ That fact doesn't really bother him. In truth, what bothers him more is that he doesn't think that Emma is as affected as he is. Sure, he'd seen a glimmer of attraction last night in those few moments when she'd allowed herself to truly look at him and when he'd touched her. But it was nothing like what he wanted. What he wanted - what he _wants_ is her.

He grins and, he turns off and steps out of the shower. Well, if she takes him up on his offer, it will give him plenty of time to break through her hard exterior, to get to her as well as she has gotten to him.

He hums happily to himself and gets ready for work.

It is hours later and Killian is working under his Jolly Roger when a pair of dark brown boots appear in his line of sight and stop as they reach him. Killian climbs out from underneath his car, wiping excess oil on a rag hanging out of his pocket.

"Emma, you're later than I expected. I almost began to despair that you wouldn't actually come," Killian says, looking her over. She's dressed in the same red leather jacket as yesterday, a low cut top that hugs her curves, and boots that come up past her denim clad knees. She looks good, really good.

"You look gorgeous today," Killian says.

She shakes her head at him, a small smile playing on her lips. "You said you had a proposition for me?"

He sighs and says, "Yes I did. I want you to race for me."

"Race for you?"

"Yes I -"

He pauses at the sound of tires rolling across gravel. He isn't expecting anyone else; it's probably just another customer.

He frowns when he sees Smee appear at the gates to the garage. He looks terrified, and Killian soon sees why. Smee bolts behind one of the junk cars while the sunglass-wearing, seven foot tall bald-headed gunman behind him turns his weapon towards Killian. It's like the gunman is straight out of a movie with the way he looks. If Killian wasn't so pissed, he'd be laughing.

"Whoa, whoa," Emma says.

"It's okay, darling. Let me handle this," Killian says.

"You were in Gold's territory last night," the gunman says.

"It was an accident. My new mechanic, " Killian says, indicating Emma, "got lost."

He ignores the indignant look on Emma's face, focusing all his attention on controlling his rage. That Gold would send a gunman to his garage, into_Killian's_ territory - it makes his blood boil.

The cell phone in the gunman's pocket rings, and without taking his eyes or his gun off of Killian, he pulls it out and answers.

"Says it was an accident, that his new mechanic got lost," the gunman says into the phone.

After a moment, he hangs up the phone, returning it to his pocket. "Gold says he believes you."

The man turns to leave, walks two paces, and then turns back around. He aims low, shoots out all four tires of the Jolly Roger and the headlights.

Killian sees red; the only thing that stops him from going after the gunman is Emma's hand on his wrist. He clenches his hands into fists, trying in vain to calm himself.

"Don't ever show your face in his territory again," the gunman says before finally exiting.

When Killian is sure that he's gone, he pulls out of Emma's grip and yells, "Smee!"

"Yes, Captain," Smee says, coming out of his hiding place.

"How the hell did he get past you with a gun?"

"I thought he was a customer until he pulled the gun on me. Told me to take him to you, so I did," Smee says.

He pulls off his hat, wringing it in his hands as he continues, "Knew he wasn't going to kill you. Gold wouldn't risk that."

Killian is about to dismiss him when Smee's words sink in.

"You knew it was one of Gold's men? _How_?"

"Well, when he brought me around back, I saw Gold sitting in the car..."

_Watching, waiting to see how Killian would react. That fucking bastard._

Killian wasn't going to let him get the better of him, no, not this time.

"Mr. Smee, send Hector to work the register, I'm going to need you for more important things."

Smee lets out a visible sigh of relief. "Yes, Captain."

"They really do call you Captain," Emma says, reminding Killian of her presence.

He turns to look at her, and is surprised to find his rage matched in her expression.

"Emma..."

"What the hell was that about?" she demands. She crosses her arms over her chest and raises both eyebrows at him.

"It's a long story - the gist of it, Mr. Gold and I don't see eye to eye. This is pretty tame for one of our encounters," Killian grits out.

"Tame? Well, there's a definition of the word I've never heard before. He put six bullets in your car!"

"Tell me something I don't know," Killian yells back at her.

"Well, if you replace your tires with M&H's you'll get better traction when racing," Emma says, studying at his blown out tires.

Killian feels his anger leave him. He runs a hand across his face and grins at her widely.

"You're right," he says. "You're bloody brilliant, Emma."

"Thanks," she says, and Killian can tell that she is trying not to look too pleased with herself.

"Don't do that," he chastises. "Smile, be proud - you've just become my top mechanic."

"Who says I want the job?" Emma says, raising her eyebrows at him yet again.

"Because - you just blew your last $500 on a race that you didn't win, you just lost your job as a mechanic at Mike's and now you're living out of your car."

"You looked me up," Emma surmises, her tone grim.

"Had to," he says.

She looks away from him. After a moment, she turns back, a new confidence in her gaze.

"5 days a week, 9 hours a day with 3 breaks, including lunch, and I want $35 an hour," Emma says.

"Make that $25 an hour and I'll throw in free room and board," Killian says.

"Room and board?" She gives him a quizzical look.

"There's an empty apartment above the shop. If you don't mind the sound of people working in the shop too much, then it's yours. Granted, you'll still have to race for me."

"Yeah, back to that," Emma says. "What and why?"

Killian laughs heartily at her response. Pulling himself together, he says, "Yeah, I want you to race for me. I'd do it myself, but I'm not exactly allowed. There's a show down in the desert called Race Wars - I could make some good money off of you there."

"And if I want to make that money myself?" Emma says, scoffing.

"Fine, I'll give you a cut," he says with fake exasperation.

"Then I'm in. I want this all in writing though," Emma says.

"You drive a hard bargain, Ms. Swan," Killian says. He extends a hand for her to shake. She takes it and doesn't even make a face at the grease still clinging to his fingers and now hers.

"So, I guess I should start by switching out those tires and digging those bullets out of your headlights, eh?" she says, eyeing the Jolly Roger's torn tires and crushed headlights.

Part of Killian screams "Danger!" at the thought of letting her near his precious car, but another part, the risk-taking side of him says that he should let her.

"I guess you should," he says. "Everything you need is in this garage. If you can't find what you need, you don't belong near a car."

Emma grins at him. "You've been saving that one, haven't you?"

Killian grins back at her. He winks at her, and then says, "Possibly. Get to work, Swan. Finish the tires and the headlights by the end of the day and I'll even let you buy me dinner."

Emma rolls her eyes, but removes her jacket and blouse anyway, leaving her in only her tank top.

_She's thrown a few punches in her day, _Killian thinks as he stares at her bared arms. Emma is no fragile creature, and as if it's even possible, Killian is even more attracted to her because of that.

"You still owe me that rematch, Hook!" Emma says as Killian starts to walk away.

Killian waves a hand at her in response, says, "And you'll get it," and keeps on walking.

He finds Smee at the front of the shop, at the register with Hector.

"Smee," he says.

The shorter man turns around slowly. "I was just coming to find you."

"Good," Killian says, "I need you to do what you do best."

That gets a grin from Smee in response. "Who?"

"Gold. I want you to find out what he's up to."

"Yes, Captain," he says. He starts to walk by Killian but Killian grabs him right before he reaches the door.

"And I don't need to tell you -"

"You don't."

Killian releases him and lets him pass without stopping him this time.

"Hector, if Emma -"

"The blonde chick?" Hector says.

"The blonde _woman_," Killian corrects. "If Emma comes looking for me, tell her I'll be back soon."

Killian leaves the shop and hops into his Volkswagen Jetta. It's his regular vehicle, the one he drives when he's not trying to impress and when he doesn't need to hit 140mph.

He has made this drive so many times that he could probably do it in his sleep. It takes him less than ten minutes to make it to Jefferson's house. He parks in Jefferson's driveway and heads towards the front door. He doesn't bother to knock, lets himself in with the key he has had since they were fifteen.

"Jefferson!" Killian calls out as he closes and locks the door behind him.

"In here!" Jefferson calls back.

Killian treads carefully as he crosses the living room. A child's toys are scattered all over the place, and Killian shakes his head, smiling. Grace is usually neater than this.

He heads to the back room, Jefferson's computer room. Jefferson is seated at his desk, surrounded by three running laptops.

"What's up?" Jefferson asks.

"I just came by to thank you for the information you got on Swan. It was really helpful."

"Oh, _was_ it?" Jefferson says, looking significantly more interested in the conversation despite his focus still being on his computers.

"Yeah, she's now an official member of our crew so I expect you to treat her well."

"A member of our crew? Didn't know you had it in you, Hook."

Killian narrows his eyes at Jefferson, and he says, "I don't know what you're talking about. Tell Alice to make sure you make it over for dinner tomorrow night."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Jefferson says.

Killian starts to leave. Jefferson spins around in his chair, finally looking up from the computer and says, "She isn't like all the others, is she?"

"What?" Killian says, giving Jefferson a look of befuddlement.

"This Emma Swan whose yellow beetle beat out all of the top racers and nearly beat your Jolly Roger. From what I can tell - from her records and from the way you asked about her - she isn't like all the others."

"Mate," Killian says with a grin. "I've barely known her a day. How do I know what she's like?"

"You're already lying to yourself, fan-tas-tic," Jefferson says, ending his words on a yawn.

"Okay, I still don't know what you're on about, but don't forget dinner tomorrow."

"_Alright_," Jefferson stresses. "If you want me to meet the girl, all you have to do is tell me, you know."

"Shut up," Killian says, laughing. He walks back to the door, waves a hand behind him and says, "I'll see you later."


	4. Chapter 4

**Title: **Driving In Cars With Boys

**Summary: **Fast and the Furious AU. Emma/Killian. LAPD detective Emma Swan is sent undercover to see who is ripping off truck drivers before the truck drivers start to take matters into their own hands. She knows that it must be someone in the street racing world, run by Captain Hook and his crew, so she infiltrates his gang, intending to find the culprits. She never thought that she'd get so caught up in him and his world that she'd risk everything, her career, her life, for this one-handed criminal.

**Notes: **I'm definitely going to need someone to read over the next few chapters, if anyone's interested, PM me. This chapter is unbeta'ed, any and all mistakes are my own; feel free to point them out.

* * *

Emma is just putting the final touches on installing the headlights of his 1970 Dodge Charger when Killian returns to the garage.

He coughs to let her know that he is there, and then says, "So, let me see how well you did?"

"Go ahead," Emma says, moving out of the way. She rubs the middle of her aching back, kneading the skin with her fists. She hasn't worked this hard on a car in a while. Replacing those four tires and installing the new headlights has been quite the workout. She stares at Killian as he bends over the car to examine the back tires, and is ashamed by the way her eyes are drawn to patch of skin between his shirt and his jeans. She looks away quickly and hopes he didn't catch her looking.

_It has been too long,_ she thinks, _that must be the problem._ It has been so long since she was with anyone that her body is even starting to react to potential suspects.

"You took good care of my baby," Killian says, finally breaking the silence. He walks back towards the front of the car and pats the hood of the car gently.

"As a reward, I'm taking you out to dinner," he says.

She gives him a tight-lipped "bitch please" smile and says, "I'd much prefer to be given the keys to my new apartment so I can wash the grime and sweat off and go to bed."

Killian frowns slightly. "I'll concede that you definitely need a shower, but we are going out to eat."

Emma is tempted to childishly tell him, "Make me," but bites her tongue. She's surprised by the urge; she isn't usually one to act that way. Shaking her head, she says instead, "Okay, but this isn't a date."

"I get it," Killian says. "You're not interested in me. Just think of this dinner as an interview between an employer and his potential employee."

"I thought I was already hired," Emma points out. She rubs the small of her back again, the ache finally beginning to subside.

"Details, details," he sing-songs.

"And besides, don't you already know everything about me? You _did_ have me researched."

"I did, but," he stops. When he speaks again, his voice is low and seductive, and he fixes her with a sultry gaze, "There's so much about you that I'd like to know."

Emma feels her breath catch in her throat and she nods, "Of course."

She takes a deep breath, willing her body to stop acting like a teenager in heat, and says, "Keys?"

The smile he gives her is infuriatingly smug as he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a set of keys. He tosses them to her and she catches them easily.

"Let me give you the tour?" he suggests.

"I'm sure I can find my way around an apartment just fine," she says, shutting down whatever ideas he may have.

"Fine," he sighs heavily. "I'll just bring in your bags."

"Thanks, but no thanks," Emma says.

"Alas, but you are a hard woman to please," Killian says, canting his head at her.

Emma smiles at him and heads to her car to get her suitcases. When she has finally carried her few bags up the stairs, she lets herself into the apartment above the shop.

She expected it to be dirty. She expected to be disgusted. She didn't expect for it to be as nice as it is. There is a small kitchen that looks clean and unused, and a spacious living room. The bedroom isn't big, but it's comfortable and Emma resists plopping down onto the clean sheets. Despite how inviting the queen sized bed looks, she is a complete mess and she doesn't know if there are more clean linens around.

Making sure that the door is locked, she strips down and walks into the bathroom. She revels in the warmth of the shower, taking her time to clean herself from head to toe. She pointedly doesn't think of Killian at all, directing her thoughts to musing over what the truck drivers might do if she doesn't track down the culprits soon.

When she is done showering and is fully dressed, she reemerges from her apartment and goes to look for Killian.

"Hook!" she calls out when she enters the garage.

There is no answer so she heads to the shop.

"Hey, Hector," she says when she notices him still working the register. They'd developed a camaraderie during the day when she'd had to come in to get the parts she needed. He'd helped her carry the heavy loads and he'd helped her gain some insight on Killian's management style.

_"He'll run you ragged and leave you begging for more," Hector had said. _

Emma hadn't seen much of the "begging for more" part yet, but hell, today had certainly run her ragged.

"Hook, I'm tired and hungry, where the hell are you?" she hisses under her breath.

"Right here, darling, you didn't need to shout," his voice whispers right in her ear.

Emma jumps as he walks around her so that they are facing each other. Cursing him inwardly, she says with as calm of a voice as she can muster, "Is sneaking up on people a talent of yours?"

"Oh, I'm a man of many talents," he replies, grinning cheekily. "Are you ready to eat?"

"_Yes_. That's why I'm here," she says.

"We'll be back later," Killian says. "Lock up the shop and make sure the garage is locked up as well."

"Kay, Captain," Hector says.

Emma follows Killian out the door and towards his car.

"Allow me," Killian says, holding the passenger side door open for her.

"Oh, so you're being a gentlemen now?" Emma says, climbing into the car.

"I'm always a gentlemen," Killian says with a wink.

Emma shakes her head at him in disbelief. She closes the door, straps herself in, and then drums her fingers across the dashboard.

"Where are we going, Hook?" she asks.

A frown briefly flits across his face, but then he smiles and says, "A little Cuban place I like to go to sometimes. You'll love it."

Killian puts on music and they drive the rest of the way without speaking. It is a comfortable silence, and it helps Emma to mentally prepare herself for any questions he might ask her about her past job, her experience, and the like.

She thinks she has done a good job preparing herself when she manages to make it through the beginning of their dinner without stumbling over her words, but then straight out of left field, Killian says, "You were abandoned as a child, weren't you?"

"Wait, what?" Emma says, nearly dropping her fork in surprise. _He really had done his research._

"You just have this look... I've met many orphans in my life, they all have that same look in their eyes, the look you get when you've been left alone."

"Right, you sure you didn't just read that in whatever file you pulled up on me?" Emma says, fiddling with her fork. She feels uncomfortable under the heavy weight of his gaze, uncomfortable with how well he has seen through her.

"Love has been all too rare in your life," he says softly.

Emma blinks at him and, noticing the name, _Milah_, inscribed on his arm, says , "You've surmised so much about me, what about you? Have you ever been in love?"

Killian notices the direction of her gaze. He rubs his tattooed arm, a self-conscious action, and says, "I was once, very much so."

"What happened?" Emma starts to ask, but thinks better of it when she notices the cold, hard look in his eyes. Instead she steers to conversation into safer waters and says, "How'd you find this restaurant?"

Killian grins at her. "Actually, I was running from the cops when I first found this place. Me and the guys had needed to split quickly after our street race got swarmed on. The parking lot to this restaurant was the perfect place to stash my car, but I needed to stash myself too. So, I came into the restaurant, intending on only staying a little while, but I met a lovely woman and we started chatting and I ended up staying here most of the evening."

Emma laughs, his earlier coldness nearly forgotten. "Seriously? You're kidding me."

"Would I lie to you?" he says.

"Probably," Emma replies.

"You have such little faith in me," Killian says mournfully. Leaning forward across the table, he says, "Dearest Emma, give me a chance."

Emma pretends to mull this over for a moment, and then says with mock exasperation, "_Fine._"

"Knew you'd come around," he says. He beams at her and despite her better judgment, Emma smiles back at him.

She goes back to eating her food, but after a moment, she puts her fork down, and says, "How'd you do it? I've been around your car all day and I still haven't figured it out."

"Figured out what?" Killian asks, confusion etched across his face.

"How you nearly beat me."

He gives her a lazy grin. "I thought we agreed that was a tie."

Emma shrugs. "How did you do it? I used NOS to pull ahead of you. I've checked your car, you don't have any NOS, so how did you reach me again when I was using it?"

Killian laughs. "It's hidden under the passenger seat," he says.

"Oh," Emma says. "Okay, now it makes sense why I couldn't find it. Okay, I feel better now."

"That was really bothering you, wasn't it?"

"Driving me completely crazy," she says .

"I know the feeling," he says.

* * *

Emma falls asleep on the drive back and is awoken by a gentle tugging on her hand. She opens her eyes to see her door open with Killian leaning over her.

"Come on, darling, time to get you to bed."

"Yeah," Emma says stiffly, ignoring the suggestion in his tone.

Killian moves to let her out of the car and Emma climbs out. She follows him to the stairs by the garage. She yawns widely and then says, "I'll see you bright and early tomorrow, I guess."

"Thank you for dinner," she adds.

"Goodnight, Emma," he says.

"Goodnight, Hook," she replies, and heads up the stairs. She hears his footsteps fade away and his car start up and pull away. When she is sure that he is gone, she unlocks her door and heads into her new temporary apartment.

As she prepares for bed, Emma muses that the thing that bothers her the most about Killian is that he doesn't seem to be a bad guy. Sure, he's cocky and forward, but despite her initial reservations, knowing what she knows about him and his past, Emma finds that she actually _likes_ him. He is charismatic; he has pulled her in and Emma just hopes that she has done the same to him.

"The more he likes me, the faster I'll be done with this job," she murmurs to herself, but something doesn't feel right in those words. She pushes the uneasiness away and climbs into bed.

* * *

The next day, Killian gives her a list of things to pick up from one of his other shops. Emma is on her way to get them when a cop siren goes off behind her. She pulls over to the side of the road.

"Step out of the vehicle," the officer says into the loudspeaker. Emma rolls her eyes, but does what she's told. They're making this really theatrical, but whatever; if that's how they want to do this, she won't stop them.

"Hands in the air."

Emma complies with the command. Anticipating their next move, she takes a step back.

"Keep going, farther back," the officer says.

She does until he tells her to stop. She's grabbed by the arms and forced into a pair of silver handcuffs. It's tight, really tight. They're really putting on a show this time. They pat her down.

"What did I do?" Emma asks.

"Shut up," the officer replies, grabbing her and forcing her into the backseat of the cop car.

"Just doing our jobs," they tell her later when they've taken her to the a fancy house down in Beverly Hills.

"Yeah, yeah, just get me out of these cuffs," she says. He uncuffs her, and she rubs her wrists tenderly.

She lets out a low whistle when she finally gets a good look at the house. It must have cost a small fortune to build. "This place is much swankier than the last place we confiscated."

She turns back towards the cops that brought her in. "Where's -"

"Miss Swan," Captain Mills says from a spot behind Emma.

Emma turns around to face her. Giving her a tightlipped smile, she says, "Deputy Chief Mills. What have you got for me?"

"Let's step inside, Miss Swan. We don't know who might be watching or listening."

"Right," Emma says stiffly and follows Regina into the house. It isn't that Emma doesn't like her, it's more that Emma doesn't think Regina likes _her_. There is a coldness in their every interaction. Emma would shrug it off, but it's hard to get a job done when your superior treats you like dirt under their shoe.

"Your car handled pretty well last night," Regina says, the unspoken "I didn't think it would" hanging in the air between them.

"Yes it did, but it's not enough to beat Hook."

Regina gives her a look that is half surprise, half confusion. "Well it will have to do, won't it?"

Emma isn't sure how to respond and is saved from having to by the FBI liaison coming between them.

"Ms. Swan," he says. "I'm Archie Hopper. Nice driving last night. I heard that you managed to slip between two police cars who'd cut off the road. I'd say it's lucky that you're on our side."

Emma smiles at him and says, "I'd say it is. So, what do you have for me?"

"Four hijackings in two months and we don't have anything. DVD, Blu-ray players, and game systems are worth two million which brings the grand total to seven million plus."

Emma nods. It's not new information.

"What about the recent hijacking? What does the truck driver say?" Emma asks.

"He gave us the same M.O. Three Honda Civics, precision driving, same green neon glow from under the chassis. The skid marks came back the same from the lab. Mashimoto ZX tires, so it has to be somebody from the street racing world," Regina replies.

"If we don't make this case soon, the truckers will take matters into their own hands. Now, I'm trying to keep that from happening, but I need you to help me, Ms. Swan. Find out who is hijacking these trucks, get us the evidence we need to stop them."

"That I will do," Emma says. "We know that it's someone in the street racing world, and that world is run by Hook and his crew. Now, I don't know whether it's Hook doing the hijackings or someone else, but Hook's made me a member of his crew; It's only a matter of time before I win his confidence and he lets me in."

"I'm afraid we may not have that kind of time," Archie says.

Emma nods. "I _will_ find out who's doing this. Count on that."

Archie extends his hand. "I will," he says and Emma shakes it.

"Not that I doubt your abilities, Miss Swan, but Killian Jones is not a man to be underestimated. He's done hard time for nearly beating a man to death. Don't turn your back on him," Regina cuts in with a stern look.

"I don't intend to," Emma says.

* * *

"What took you so long?" Killian asks when she finally gets back to the shop with the parts he wanted. He doesn't look upset, merely curious which Emma finds odd.

"I got into some trouble with some cops. I have an expired registration," Emma explains. It's not a lie; her registration _is_ expired. She watches his expression carefully for his reaction. He doesn't look surprised or taken aback by her words, and Emma figures he already knew.

"I see," Killian says. "Well, we'll get that fixed up. Until then, get back to work," he says good-naturedly.

Emma smiles at him and mockingly salutes him. "Aye aye, Cap'n."

Killian grins at her and holds her gaze for a long moment in which Emma can swear she sees the sea in his blue eyes. Emma is the first one to look away.

"Better get to work then," she says to try to alleviate the awkward tension.

"You do that," he says, sounding amused.

Emma rolls her eyes and turns away.


	5. Chapter 5

**Title: **Driving In Cars With Boys

**Summary: **Fast and the Furious AU. Emma/Killian. LAPD detective Emma Swan is sent undercover to see who is ripping off truck drivers before the truck drivers start to take matters into their own hands. She knows that it must be someone in the street racing world, run by Captain Hook and his crew, so she infiltrates his gang, intending to find the culprits. She never thought that she'd get so caught up in him and his world that she'd risk everything, her career, her life, for this one-handed criminal.

**Notes: **Thank you to everyone who has favourited, followed, and reviewed this story so far. This chapter is much, much longer than the past chapters, and I'm really nervous about it so please tell me if you enjoyed it or if there's something that doesn't make sense or anything you felt about this chapter, basically. Unbeta'ed, any and all mistakes are my own, feel free to point them out.

* * *

"I want you to meet my main crew," Killian says the next day when Emma exits her apartment for work. He is on his knees, cleaning dirt out of the tires of one of his Jetta with an equally dirty rag. He is in just a tank top, and Emma catches herself staring at the muscles of his shoulders. She looks away quickly before he catches her too. That's all she needs for him to figure out that the attraction isn't one-sided.

"Sure, where are they?"

"In the shop," Killian says without looking up. "Can you find your way there on your own or should I escort you?"

Emma gives his back an unimpressed frown. "I think I can manage it just fine."

"Alright," Killian says, waving her away with his rag.

She walks through the garage and to the shop. Inside, Smee and two men she doesn't recognize are chatting by the counter. They look up when she enters, turning to face her fully. The handsome one with a manic grin is the first one to speak.

Walking towards her, he says, "You must be the enigmatic Emma."

"Enigmatic?" Emma says, studying him carefully.

"I should know everything about you - Killian had me research you - but you're still a mystery to me," he says, walking even closer so that he is almost too close for comfort. He leans down over her and continues, "I'm Jefferson."

"So you are," she says.

She sticks her hand out, putting some distance in between them. The grin is still on his face, and it is starting to unnerve her. Finally, it fades to something more like a normal smile.

"So I take it you're a tech whiz, getting all that dirt on me," Emma surmises.

"I am," Jefferson confirms.

"So you can help me with the specs for my car for Race Wars," Emma says.

She turns away from Jefferson before he has a chance to respond and looks towards the other man.

"I'm Victor Whale," he says, giving a small wave. "I'm the resident car doctor."

Emma bypasses Jefferson and heads towards Victor.

"And you can help me build the car," she says.

He nods at her. She then turns to Smee, who, picking up on where she is going, says, "I can help you acquire anything you need, parts and the like."

Spinning so that she has all of them in her sights, she says, "I think we're going to make a great team."

She returns to Killian in the garage. He is scrubbing the headlights of his car now, bent over in a way that Emma decidedly does _not _find appealing.

"So, your crew is going to help me build my car for Race Wars," she says.

He twists his head to look at her. "What about your bug? You're not using that in the races?"

"No, she isn't going to cut it, I don't think," Emma says.

"I'm going to go pick up the car, some groceries, and bring them back here," Emma says.

Killian stands up fully, stretching out his back and arms. Emma's eyes do not follow the movement, and she definitely doesn't notice the way his biceps bulge as he moves.

"Car?" he asks.

"A guy owes me a favour. He's giving me one of his junkers in payment," she answers.

"Uh-huh," Killian says. "A junker, really?"

"Why do you think I've recruited your crew to help me with it? It's going to need a lot of work."

"I see. As long as you still have time to help me with other cars that come into the shop," he says.

"Of course," Emma nods. She had no plans to ignore her work; she actually does need the money. Being undercover, she didn't have access to her normal bank accounts, and she definitely isn't going to try to access them with Jefferson doing research on her. He could probably track all of her movements. Good thing she had a burn phone for all her calls to the office.

"Be back around 4," he says.

"Why?" Emma asks.

"We, Jefferson, Ruby, Victor, Alice, and I, are having dinner at my place tonight. You're invited," he says.

Emma can't think of a reason to say no. In fact, she has a good reason to say yes. Bringing her to dinner at his place with his crew and what she assumes are their families means that he is starting to trust her. Either that or he is living by the adage of "keep your enemies close," but Emma doesn't think that is it although it does worry her that he has grown to trust her so quickly. They barely know each other.

_You did save his ass from getting arrested._

Actually, maybe his easy trust does make sense.

"Okay, I'll be here," Emma says.

* * *

After picking up the car and her groceries, Emma returns to her apartment. She parks the junker in an empty spot in the garage and goes upstairs to put away her groceries. The fridge and cabinets were looking despairingly empty. She picked up food enough for two weeks. She doesn't know how long she will be here, and anyway it is on the office's tab so she has treated herself.

By the time she is done putting everything away, it's almost 4 o'clock. She heads out of her apartment, securing the door behind her, and walks through the garage to the shop where Killian is waiting.

"I'll give you a ride; don't worry about it," he says when she starts to ask him for the address.

She places her hands on her hips in a "really?" motion. He gives her a disappointed look. Sighing, Emma gives in and allows him to lead her to his car.

"This whole doing things for me shtick is getting old," Emma says as she climbs into the car beside him. "I don't need a white knight."

"I'm not trying to be one," he says.

"And what are you trying to do?" Emma asks.

A smirk slides across his face and he says, "If I said I was trying to seduce you..."

"I'd tell you to quit while you're ahead," Emma finishes.

He sighs, lets out a low chuckle. "Yeah, I suppose you would, wouldn't you? You're quite the cold one, aren't you?"

Emma doesn't respond to that. His words make her feel uncomfortable, because they are so close to the truth. She is cold, but the world taught her long ago that being cold was the only way to avoid getting hurt, and nowadays, it is just her default. She doesn't know how to turn it off anymore, but she needs to at least be able to pretend. She doesn't think that being cold will help her gain Killian's trust.

They arrive at Killian's house. Instead of leading her through the house, Killian leads her out to the backyard where a woman with messy blonde hair and a brunette with red highlights and bright red lipstick to match are setting up a table while Jefferson and Victor cook hotdogs and burgers on the grill.

"Emma, this is..."Killian starts but the brunette cuts him off with a wave of her hand.

"I can speak for myself," she says to Killian. She turns to Emma and graces her with a bright smile. "I'm Ruby."

"And I'm Alice," the blonde says.

"Nice to meet you," Emma says to both of them.

"Come on, sit down. Want something to drink?" Ruby says.

"I can get it -" Emma starts, but Killian stops both her with a wave of his hand.

"I'll get the beers," he says.

"Thanks," Emma and Ruby say simultaneously.

"He's such a gentleman, isn't he?" Ruby asks with a smile.

"He thinks he is," Emma says, smiling in turn.

"I heard that!" Killian says from the kitchen of his house. He comes back outside with four beers and hands one to Ruby, Alice, and Emma, keeping the last one for himself.

"What about us?" Victor says.

Ruby rolls her eyes, and Killian says, "You can get your own damn beers. There's nothing wrong with your legs."

"Ass," Whale says loud enough for Killian to hear.

Jefferson merely laughs in response and continues flipping burgers.

"Food's almost done," Alice says.

They all sit down at the table, Killian next to Emma, and Jefferson across from her.

"Jeff, you're not saying grace. I don't know what the hell that was last time, but it wasn't a grace," Killian says just as Jefferson starts to open his mouth.

"Ruby, would you do the honours?"

Ruby nods and says a grace. When she is finished, they all grab plates and pile them with burgers, hotdogs, potato salad, and greens. Emma waits until everyone has sat back down to start eating. The food's good, really good, and she just listens as everyone chats. She feels a little awkward, but she hides that by eating.

At the end of the meal, Killian gets a phone call. He gets up from the table while Alice and Ruby are clearing plates, and heads towards the front yard.

Right after Killian leaves the table, Ruby and Alice leave too, heading inside with their dishes and leaving Emma alone with Jefferson and Whale. It is fine, sitting there and sipping at her beer, until Jefferson starts to speak.

"You're not originally from LA. You hotwired cars and made your way all the way here from Boston, and at such a young age. I wonder why..." Jefferson says, holding out his hand like he is waiting for her to fill in the blank.

"Me too," Victor adds when Emma doesn't immediately answer.

She narrows her eyes, looking from between Victor and Jefferson.

"So are you going to try to use this time while Killian is gone to dissect me and my past?" Emma hisses, thoroughly ticked off.

Jefferson lifts his shoulders, shrugging, and Victor is unable to meet Emma's eyes, having the decency to look somewhat ashamed.

"He doesn't usually bring someone into our crew without consulting us. Forgive us if we seem a bit _greedy_ for information. We're just curious about what power you've wielded over him. You must be magic, _Emma_," Jefferson says, twiddling his fork between his fingers.

"You're joking right?" Emma scoffs and glares daggers at him.

"Okay, lets dissolve this tension with drinks, shall we?" Victor says, standing up. "I'll go grab us some more beers from the fridge."

"Oh no, of course, let's not waste this opportunity to drink ourselves into oblivion," Jefferson says with a theatric wave of his hands. He rolls his eyes at Victor and then turns back to Emma. "You may not be magic and you may be exactly who you say you are, but just know, if there's anything to find out about you, we will find it out."

"You've already researched me and found nothing. And nothing is all you'll continue to find. I haven't done anything to Hook, and I don't plan on doing anything to him so just quit it."

"Feisty," Jefferson says. He sighs, rubs a hand across his face, and continues, "Of course, that must why he likes you."

"So what if he likes me? How is that hurting you?"

"It's the whole 'bro's before ho's' thing," Ruby cuts in. Emma turns to see that she and Alice have both returned from the kitchen. Alice is glaring at Jefferson who now looks chagrinned.

"Just ignore him," Alice says as she and Ruby take their seats at the table. "He's just an asshole when it comes to Hook."

"I'm not an asshole," Jefferson mutters but even he doesn't sound convinced.

Emma returns to eating her food. When Killian comes back outside, he looks ten years older than he did when he walked outside. There is a tiredness to his face that wasn't there before.

"Everything okay?" she asks when he sits down beside her.

"Yeah, just one of my business dealings went south. It's nothing though," he says. He fixes a smile on his face and then says, "They haven't bothered you, have they?"

"Not at all," Emma says, looking directly at Jefferson. He gives her a bright grin, and Emma gives him her patented "bitch please" smile.

They stare each other down, and somehow, through that look, they reach an understanding. Jefferson nods at her, and Emma nods back at him.

* * *

Emma spends most of the rest of the week working on her car for Race Wars with Jefferson and Victor. Sometimes Killian comes in to flirt and banter with her, but most days, it is just her working on the car by herself. It is tiring, but for the first time in a long time, she is doing something that she truly enjoys.

* * *

At the end of the week, Emma lets Killian take her out to dinner. They go back to the restaurant that he took her to the first night that she worked for him.

"This place again?" Emma asks with fake annoyance.

Killian laughs. "I like this place. Don't knock it."

With fake resignation, she says, "Well...alright."

"So, what's this dinner for?" Emma asks when they've been seated at a table.

"We're celebrating a successful first week, of course," Killian says.

"So I did well, then?" Emma says, picking up her menu. "I think I should get a pay raise for all the hard work I put in, don't you?"

"Don't press your luck, sweetheart," he says.

"Not your sweetheart," she says as she stares down at the menu.

_Not yet, _he thinks. She glances up at him from his menu, and for a split second when her blue eyes catch his, he can swear that she is thinking the same thing as him.

They spend the dinner chatting amiably, him flirting, and her deflecting his every advance. Finally, Killian pays the bill and they leave the restaurant.

"Wanna take the Jolly Roger for a drive?" Killian says when they are outside.

Emma smirks at him. "I thought you'd never ask."

He throws her the keys and she catches them easily. He opens the door for her to climb in the driver's side, and then runs over to the passenger side.

"Treat my baby right," he warns. All she does is laugh at him as she starts up the engine and pulls away from the curb. She goes from 0 to 60 in seconds, speeding down the streets like they are a highway. When he let Milah drive his car, she'd been careful with it. Emma is nothing like Milah in that regard.

"Whooo!" Emma says, throwing her head back and closing her eyes.

"Eyes on the road, Emma," Killian chastises, but he is laughing as he says it. He is enjoying himself as much as she is. She looks over at him, gracing him with her biggest smile. He grins at her in turn. She turns her eyes back to the road and makes a sharp, but controlled turn at the next intersection.

"When I used to steal cars as a kid, I would take them for joy rides and pretend I was a getaway driver outrunning the cops," Emma tells him as they speed down the street.

They come to a red light. Emma slows down and turns her attention back to Killian.

"Is that how you got caught?" Killian asks.

"Someone ratted me out, one of the other foster kids, I think. I tried to outrun the cops, but they caught up to me. I didn't have the skills back then that I do nowadays."

Killian nods at her in understanding. For a moment, she looks so sad, but the expression fades as quickly as it appears. Killian brushes his hand against her shoulder. She stares at him for a long moment and then smiles.

"I'm being depressing," Emma says. "How about I lighten the mood?"

"How?" Killian says.

Slowly, a grin spreads across Emma's face. Killian doesn't know what it means, but he's more than willing to find out. Anything that makes her smile like that, so bright and without the usual tightness in her smile, is something he approves of.

When the light turns green, they take off down the street. One hand on the wheel, the other in her lap, Emma starts to speed up.

"Come on," she says to herself. Killian is distracted from her driving by the way her dress rides up her thigh as she pushes her foot to the pedal. He drags his eyes away just in time to see what she is aiming for.

"Emma!" he shouts. All she does is laugh in response as they head towards the car ramp at the end of the street. He hears sirens behind him, but Emma ignores them and takes the jump.

They fly high and hit the street hard, the car bouncing beneath them. Killian is sure she has broken him and his car, but somehow they come out of it in one piece.

"Are you crazy?" he asks her, turning to stare at her in amazement.

"Just a little," she says with a grin that lights up her whole face. "Don't tell me you didn't enjoy that."

"My car didn't," he says evasively.

She sees right through him and says, "Wanna do it again?"

That is when the cop siren rings louder in the distance. Killian finally realizes there are cars beeping at them as they've stopped in the middle of the intersection.

"Or maybe not," Emma laughs and starts driving again, speeding away from the scene of their crime. They end up stopping in an alley as the cop car zooms past them and heads in the other direction.

"Close one," Emma says, looking worried now.

"Yeah, but we didn't get caught. There is nothing to worry about," Killian says.

"What if they got your plates? What if someone got a picture? Shit," Emma says, growing more and more anxious. Her fingers grip the wheel tightly. Killian reaches over and pulls her hands away from the wheel. She looks up at him questioningly.

"We're not going to get in trouble. Trust me. Besides, it would be worth it if we did. That's the coolest thing that anyone has done for me in a long time, the most fun I've had too," he says truthfully.

"Yeah, okay, maybe you should drive me home, though. Just to be safe," she says.

"Don't wanna be caught behind the wheel?" Killian teases.

She rolls her eyes at him, clearly amused. They both get out of the car, switching places. Killian pulls out of the alley and heads to his garage and Emma's apartment.

After a long moment of comfortable silence, he comments, "You're only the second woman I've let drive my car. I save it for the special ones."

"Special," Emma murmurs. Her tone sharpens as she says, "What happened to the first?"

"She died," Killian says.

He doesn't mean to sound angry, but thinking about Milah and what happened to her always makes him feel that way. They're silent once again until Emma breaks it.

"We both sure know how to kill a good mood."

He laughs, choosing not to dwell on the past but on the person sitting next to him instead. He glances at her to see her staring right back at him.

"Ready to go home?" he asks her.

"Yeah, I'm tired, and I still have to install the engine that Whale and I built tomorrow," Emma says, fiddling with her fingers. Suddenly, she frowns.

"What's wrong?" he asks, returning his eyes to the street.

"Nothing. I'm just tired," she says.

He doesn't believe her, but he doesn't want to force her to be on the defensive, so he lets it go. They arrive at the garage then, and Emma gets out of the car quickly.

"Goodnight Hook," she says.

"Night, Emma," he says. He watches to make sure she gets into the apartment alright and then he drives off.

He meets Smee, Jefferson, and Whale an hour later at their usual location.

"What are we hitting today, boss?" Smee asks.

Killian grins.

* * *

Ruby comes by the garage the next day to visit Victor. Her and Alice visit sometimes just to check in on them and bring them food. It is always nice to see them; being around the guys all day gets tiresome and sometimes she just longs for some conversation that isn't about cars.

Kissing Victor goodbye, Ruby comes over to where Emma is fixing the brakes of her car.

"We're having a girl's day tomorrow," Ruby says.

"A girl's day?" Emma asks, looking up from her work.

"Yeah, you, me, and Alice. We go shopping, we go out for drinks, things like that," Ruby says brightly.

"Oh, and you can't say no. Besides, Killian has already said yes," she adds.

"Fine," Emma says because there doesn't seem to be much of a point in arguing about it.

The next day, Ruby picks her up from her apartment. They go shopping, and it is easy and fun, and Emma doesn't force herself to remember that this is just a job, instead choosing to just enjoy herself. They talk about anything and everything, how Alice met Jefferson ("high school sweethearts"), how Ruby met Whale ("he was a regular in her Granny's diner"), and the like.

They go for drinks after and it is going just as well as the rest of the day until the bartender brings them their orders.

"So what's going on between you and Killian?" Alice asks, not completely out of the blue. Emma was expecting the interrogation at some point; she is only mildly surprised that Alice waited this long to ask her.

"Nothing," Emma laughs. "Absolutely nothing."

Alice gives her a weird look. "You don't sound too happy about that."

"Why should I be unhappy about it? I'm not interested in him in that way," Emma says firmly.

"Doesn't seem that way to me," Ruby interjects.

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" Emma says aloud, inwardly asking herself why she can't keep her attraction hidden.

"Because we have eyes," Ruby says.

"Well, I may be attracted to him," Emma concedes. "But I'm not interested in pursuing a relationship with him."

"And why not? He's not the best man, sure, but he is a good man. You make him happy, happier than I've seen him since I met him," Ruby says.

"Something happened, something bad, and it changed him, but I think you're changing him back to what he used to be. He's not just the Captain around you, he's a real person," Alice says.

Emma tries not to feel like she is under attack, but it is hard with both Alice and Ruby trying to convince her to be with Killian. She is just trying to do her job here, but somehow she has been pulled into their world. She needs to remind herself of the reason why she took this job in the first place. She needs to find some evidence to cut this job short and get back to her life.

_Not much of a life though, is it?_ a treacherous voice whispers.

"Killian and I would never work, and that's the end of it," Emma says.

"Now, let's change the subject. I think this calls for more drinks," Emma says, looking towards the bar.

"More drinks, always a good idea," Ruby agrees.

The rest of the evening is spent drinking and chatting. By the time the bar closes, they are all too sloshed to drive home. Emma is about to call a cab when, as if by fate but more likely by Alice's and Ruby's design, Killian's car pulls up at the curb.

"I'll see you later," she calls to Ruby and Alice.

Emma walks over to his car as Killian rolls down the passenger side window. She leans on the window, feeling extremely drowsy.

"Come to drive me home?" Emma asks.

"I'm at your service," Killian says, grinning at her. With a wave of his hand he says, "Come on, hop in."

She opens the car door, and climbs into the car. When she is situated in her seat, she turns to him and says, "I don't want to go home."

"So where to?" he asks, starting up the car.

"I want to go to the water. Take me to the water," she says sleepily.

"Are you sure? You look like you're about to conk out on me," he says. There is an easy humour to his voice, and a grin spreads across Emma's face unbidden.

"Take me to the water, Hook," she demands.

"Okay, okay. No need to get snappy," he says.

Snuggling down further in the seat, Emma forces her heavy eyelids open so that she can watch Killian. There is a distinct 5 o'clock shadow on his face that Emma's drink-addled brain thinks is super attractive. He is humming to himself, looking distinctly not put out, and Emma can see what Alice and Ruby were talking about.

_I make him happy. Isn't that something?_

_It's something alright,_ the sane, business-oriented voice echoes in her head, forcing her to remember why she is doing this. She needs his trust, needs him to tell her who is behind the heists.

But it is a late night, and Emma knows that she doesn't have the wits about her to wheedle the information out of him, so she closes her eyes and rests her head back against the seat, relaxing.

It feels like only moments later that there is a tap on her shoulder and she is gently pulled awake. She opens her eyes to see the passenger side door is open, and Killian is hovering over her.

"We're here," Killian says, taking a step back. She can now see where "here" is. They're parked at a dock and she can see boats in the harbor.

"You wanted to be by the water, right?" he asks when she hasn't moved out of her seat.

"I did," Emma says. She unbuckles her seatbelt and climbs out of the car.

"Well, come on then," he says, taking her hand in his.

"Where are we going?" she asks him. Her feet ache, so she pauses to take her heels off. She leaves them under her seat in his car. Emma climbs out of the car, stepping into the warm night air.

"I have a boat. We can go out on it, or we can go home," he says.

The look on his face is worried, and Emma knows that is because she is drunk off her ass. She could go home and sleep it off, but she still isn't ready for this night to end.

"Let's go," she says and follows him as he starts walking down the dock.

When he stops in front of one of the small boats, Emma says, "This is yours?"

"Yep," he says, jingling the keys for the boat in emphasis.

"You really are a captain!" she says, giggling.

She feels light, airy. Right now she doesn't feel like an undercover cop. Right now she feels like the Emma that he thinks he knows, the Emma who saved his ass and who helps him build cars and who he invited into his home like a longtime friend.

She sits down at the edge of the boat while Killian does something in the cabin. She sticks her feet out so that they're just touching the surface and lets the water lap at her feet.

"Don't sit there; you'll fall off," Killian says, walking up behind her. He stands over her like a looming shadow and Emma giggles at the sight of his stern expression.

"I may be drunk, but I'm not an idiot. My feet are barely touching the water, and besides I can swim. I think I'll be fine."

"Three sheets to the wind and still sharp as a knife," he mutters to himself.

"Mmhmm," Emma agrees."Sit down. Join me."

He sits down beside her, throwing his legs over the side of the boat like she is.

"I love the water, always have," he says to her after a long moment of silence.

She turns to look at him as he continues, "It's part of why I came up with the moniker of Captain Hook, that and the actual hook, of course."

"No Peter Pan connection then? Neverland and all that nonsense?" she says.

"Of course, I decided on it because I love Peter Pan. Neverland, seems like a wonderful place."

"Never having to grow up? Yeah that would be nice," Emma says. She surprises herself by how sad she sounds, blames it on the alcohol making her overly emotional.

She looks away from him to stare out across the LA Harbor. Lights dance across the harbor, lighting up the water. It is so peaceful, so why does she feel so tumultuous?

"Emma," Killian says.

She looks back at him. There is a question in his gaze, and Emma knows that she doesn't have the answer. She shakes her head. He leans in closer to her and Emma knows he is going to kiss her. She wants him to, she is sure of that. But -

"Hook," she says, pushing him away. "Don't."

"And why not?" he asks. He touches a hand to her shoulder that Emma removes quickly.

"Because I can't. It's not right," Emma says.

She thinks of all the places she should be. She should be tracking down criminals, not sitting in the LA harbor on Captain Hook's ship.

"It's not right," she says again. Jumping up from her seat on the edge of the boat, she continues, "Take me home."

When he doesn't move, she repeats angrily, "Take me home, Hook."

She knows she isn't angry at him, that she is angry with herself, but she can't help taking it out on him. They leave his boat and return to his car. The drive home is silent, but not the comfortable silence that Emma is used to. It is tense. Emma is all too aware of Killian and what nearly happened between them. She feels all too sober now.

The drive seems to take forever, but finally they reach Killian's garage. Emma grabs her heels from under the seat and opens the door to the car.

"Goodnight, Emma," Killian calls after her, but she doesn't respond, too caught up in her own whirlwind of emotions to be polite.

* * *

The rest of the week passes by slowly for Killian. Emma avoids him in the shop like he has the plague, only bothering to initiate conversation when she absolutely has to, and even then the conversations are short, tense things that leave him feeling uneasy. He knows what she is doing. She is running away from her feelings, from him, and that is the exact opposite of what he wants.

By Friday, he is ready to do something about it. She is working on the chassis of her car for Race Wars, so far underneath the car that he can only see her legs. Killian walks over to her and says, "Emma, come on, we've got somewhere to be."

"And where's that?" Emma asks without coming out from beneath the car or stopping her work, the sound of metal scraping against metal echoing in the empty garage.

"You'll see," he says.

"I don't like surprises or mysteries, Hook," she tells him. She finally comes up from working on the chassis. She fixes him with a stern look.

He lets out a heavy sigh of fake resignation and says, "You need a break. I'm going to give you one."

"What if I don't want a break?" she says.

"Who says you had a choice? Come on, I'm paying," he pleads. He doesn't want to have to beg, he has never had to beg a woman to go somewhere with him, and he isn't quite sure he'll do it right.

Thus, he is relieved when she says, "Okay, just let me get cleaned up."

"Yeah, you have dirt on your cheek," he comments. Walking over to where she is sitting on the floor in front of her car, he kneels down beside her and reaches a hand over to rub at the smudge of dirt on her face. She looks up at him with wide green eyes. He is prepared for her to slap at his hand, to pull away with some snarky comment, but what she does instead surprises him. She grabs his hand and leads it across her face.

"Thanks," she says, releasing his hand and standing up. He continues to kneel on the floor, a little too surprised to move.

"Don't be long," he says after a moment. He unabashedly stares at her as she ascends the stairs to her apartment, watching the way her jeans hug her hips. He groans to himself; she has no idea what she does to him.

It doesn't take her long before she is ready. She joins Killian at his car. Killian gets behind the wheel and ignores every question Emma throws at him about where they're going until she finally huffs and presses her face against the window, steadfastly ignoring his attempts to engage her in other conversation.

"No," she says as they round another corner. "No."

They arrive at the beach. Emma gives him an exasperated look as they climb out of the car.

"Seriously, you brought me to the beach? Do I look like a beach girl to you?"

"There's a great restaurant here," Killian says. "No complaints."

"I'll do as much complaining as I want to," Emma says, a sulky expression her face.

"Chin up. Trust me, you'll enjoy yourself," he says.

He takes her to the restaurant, and to his surprise, Emma brightens and _does_ start to look like she is thoroughly enjoying herself. He thought she would still upset at him for what happened on the boat, but it seems that she has gotten over it, or at least she is pretending very well. For his part, he is genuinely thrilled to be around her. Just watching as her hands flail in the air as she tells a story of a time that someone tried to rob her apartment and she ran the thief down, watching her as she twirls her spaghetti around her fork and nearly spills sauce all over her pants, just watching _her_ makes him happy.

He isn't sure what it is about her that makes him feel like a better him. Maybe it's the fact that she challenges him, that she doesn't give in to his every whim. Maybe it is that she makes him laugh. It might even be the fact that she can see right through him sometimes, guess things about him that he hasn't shared with anyone. Whatever it is, he knows that it feels like falling in love all over again.

His thoughts trail back to Milah, and for once, her memory doesn't hurt him.

When they've finished eating, they go for ice cream at a small shop on the waterfront. They sit in the outdoor seating by the beach and eat their ice cream. They both went for cookie dough fudge mint chip.

Emma's ice cream is dripping on the table and she tries to catch the droplets with her tongue as she says, "I want to ask you something."

"What do you want to know? I'll answer anything," he says, grinning.

"Anything?" Emma teases, biting on her bottom lip.

Killian leans forward across the table and says in a lower voice, "Anything."

She seems to mull this over for a moment. A smile spreads across her face, and Killian thinks he might just have won her over.

"Why don't you tell me about your other income?" Emma asks him, the smile disappearing, replaced with a serious expression.

His hopes dashed, Killian watches as she twists her head to watch people run through the rolling waves while she waits for Killian's response. Finally, he says going for nonchalance, "What other income?"

"Barely anyone comes into the shop, Hook. There's no way you and your crew can support yourselves on that income alone," Emma says. Killian is glad that his assessment of her is correct, that she is a smart lass, but he wishes that she wasn't so smart right now. He'd rather she didn't know about his side business.

She drills the fingers of her hand not holding her ice cream along the table, waiting for his response. He grabs her hand to stop the incessant noise and says, "Race Wars. Win for me, and I'll tell you everything."

Emma still looks mistrustful of him, but sighs and says, "Alright," anyway.

"Thank you, Emma," he says sincerely, still clutching her hands.

"Whatever," she mutters, blushing slightly. Killian counts this as a win for him. He knows that he can get under her skin, but most of the time, she is able to pretend he doesn't. Slowly, but surely, he is worming his way into her heart.

All he needs is more time. He watches the smile spread across her face as she pulls her hands away from him, and thinks, _I have all the time in the world._

* * *

Later that week, Killian sends her to pick up one of his packages from a shop across town. Emma is just about to leave after picking up the package from Jerry the store owner when Yvette Morris walks in. She is a big name in the street racing world, not as big as Killian, but her and her crew have quite a few race wins under their belt.

Emma walks away from the counter before Yvette spots her and stops behind the stack of tires, listening in on the conversation from her hiding place.

"I need everything on this list," Yvette says.

"For three Honda Civics? That might take a while," Jerry says.

"I need them stat. I'll pay extra," she says. Emma watches as she slaps extra cash down on the counter. It is a lot of money. Emma's researched her and her crew; there is no legal way she should have that much cash on her.

"Okay," Jerry says, and Emma decides then and there that she needs to check out Yvette's cars. If she is the one pulling off these heists, then Emma's job has just gotten a little easier.

* * *

That night Emma drives over to Yvette's shop where she stores her cars. She parks a couple of blocks away, bypassing the loud party going on outside Yvette's house. She sneaks her way into the garage, picking the rusty lock on the back door.

She walks quickly to the three cars. Emma pulls out her flashlight and crouches down on the floor. The sounds of the party filter into the garage. She checks the tires. _Mashimoto ZX_. It isn't really evidence, most of the cars in the street racing world have them. Still, Yvette has three cars that she has just ordered special parts for with money that she shouldn't have.

Emma checks the rest of the garage. There is no sign of a hidden trove of stolen tech, so she sighs and walks out the garage. She turns to lock the door back, and when she turns around someone grabs her by the shoulder and pushes her to the ground so that she is resting on her knees. She lifts her head to face her attacker and gasps when she sees Smee and Killian.

_Shit._

"Were you following me?" Emma demands.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Killian says.

"Were you following me?" Emma repeats, refusing to answer his question. She hasn't yet thought of an answer to it, but she knows it won't be long before she has to give him one.

"I wasn't," Killian says. Grudgingly he continues, "But I had Smee doing it for me."

"She's a cop," Smee decides to say then.

"What?" Emma says, scoffing. "That's ridiculous."

"It's not ridiculous. Captain, it's the only thing that makes sense," Smee says, giving Emma a furious look.

An idea finally comes to Emma and she says, "It is ridiculous. If you really wanted to know why I was coming here, all you had to do was ask. I've been an open book."

"Now, that's a lie," Killian scoffs, but he doesn't look angry. In fact he is grinning slightly.

"Okay, maybe not an open book," Emma says, coming to her feet. "But I do have a good reason for being here."

"And what's that?" Killian asks.

"I was in Jerry's shop earlier today. Yvette was there as well. She put in an order for some special stuff. The thought occurred to me that she might be tricking out her car for Race Wars. I wanted to make sure that I know what I'm up against."

Killian considers her words, stroking a hand over his chin.

"So explain to me Emma, exactly what you planned to accomplish here?" Killian says.

Emma shrugs. "I was just trying to make sure that I win."

Killian nods and says, "Okay."

"Okay? But Captain -" Smee interjects. Killian holds up a hand to make him stop and he does.

"Let's go then," Killian says.

Emma can't think of a good enough reason to say no so she follows behind Killian. She can feel Smee eyes trying to burn holes in her. He doesn't trust her, and in this moment she isn't sure if Killian does either. He hasn't yet given her a reason to think otherwise.

"Where are we going?" she asks when she climbs into the backseat of his car. Smee is sitting up front and looks decidedly unhappy, but Emma could care less about him and his feelings.

"To check out the rest of the competition, of course," Killian says.

They drive for a little while and then they stop behind a warehouse. Emma gives it a curious once-over. She has no idea where they are.

Killian, as if reading her mind, says, "This is where he keeps his cars. You're going to have to put your lock picking talents to good use. I'm sure Gold has more than that protecting his cars, so I hope you know how to disable an alarm."

_Gold?_

"Lucky for you, I do know how to disable an alarm system," Emma says.

"A handy skill," Killian comments.

"Don't I know it," Emma says to herself.

The three of them climb out of Killian's car and head towards the warehouse. Emma picks the lock on the back door and then disables the alarm system when it starts to go off. While she is doing that, Killian and Smee move past her into the warehouse and start looking around.

"That's interesting," Killian says from somewhere behind her.

"What's interest - oh," Emma says as she turns around and sees what he is talking about. "That _is_ interesting."

The hood's of the three Nissans in the shop are all open, and inside of them is nothing. The engines are missing. What catches Emma's eye though isn't the missing the engines, but the piles of DVD, blu-ray, and game systems behind the cars.

"Well they won't be getting very far. Looks like Gold's men won't be much competition," Smee says with a laugh.

"This is certainly something," Killian says.

He looks like he is about to say something else but the sound of cars pulling up stops them all in their tracks. Killian gives her a wide-eyed look and then hisses, "Get behind the crates."

They all dive behind the crates of tech. Emma takes deep breaths, wishing that she had her weapon on her, just in case this situation goes sour. She expects them to get caught - Gold or his men will certainly notice the disabled alarm system - except they don't. When the men enter, they are too distracted by the man they throw to the floor to notice that the alarms don't go off.

Emma recognizes the man on the floor. _Jerry._ What the hell did he have to do with Gold?

Gold appears then, strolling through the door in the suit that probably cost more than Emma's entire paycheck. This is the first time Emma has seen him in person. He doesn't look threatening, but Emma knows that looks can be deceiving.

She is proven right when the first thing he does when he limps to Jerry's side is swing his cane, landing a hard blow on Jerry's back.

Jerry screams, trying to crawl away.

"Did you think that you could pull one over on me? Did you really think that I wouldn't find out?" Gold demands. With each word, he hits Jerry again and again.

Jerry coughs hard, blood spattering on the floor as he tries to curl into a protective ball.

"Well?"

Gold raises his cane again. Jerry raises his arm in surrender and says, "I'm sorry. I'll get your engines, I swear."

He coughs again, scattering more blood across the floor. Killian's grip on Emma's arm tightens. She turns to him and he gives her a worried look. Emma understands; they're definitely in quite the situation. They just have to hope that Gold decides to leave without noticing the disabled alarm system and without checking behind the crates of goods.

"You had better," he says, snarling. He hits Jerry one more time and then turns to his men. "Get him out of here, and if he doesn't get my engines, you know what to do."

Emma knows that can only mean one thing. She hopes furiously that Jerry gets Gold his engines. She doesn't want to see anyone get murdered, especially not while she could have possibly saved them. If only she had her weapon, she could get him away, but then she'd also blow her cover. It is a mark of how uncomfortably attached she's grown to Killian and his crew that the thought of them finding out makes her almost as queasy as the thought of the man getting killed.

She forcefully thinks of something else, anything else, and waits for Gold to leave. Finally, they are alone in the warehouse. Killian lets out an angry breath behind her and says sharply, "Well, that went well."

"We should've hit his warehouse another day. That was my original plan," Emma says.

Smee crawls out from underneath the crates and says, "You would've gotten caught."

"_We _almost got caught here or did that escape your notice?" Emma drawls.

Killian snickers. Emma turns to him sharply. "You shouldn't be laughing; it was your idea in the first place."

"Right you are," he says. He claps his hands together and continues, "Let's not argue about this and get going before they decide to come back."

Smee, Killian, and Emma head back to Killian's car. Emma gives the warehouse one last look before closing and locking the door behind her. After dropping Smee off at his apartment, they drive in silence until Killian arrives at the street she left her car. The street is empty of any of Yvette's crew so it is safe for her to leave his car. She starts to open her door when Killian's hand on her wrist stops her.

"Swear to me that you're not a cop," Killian says.

He locks his blue eyes with hers, daring her to look away. Emma stares at him defiantly.

"I'm not a cop," she says, ignoring the voice screaming "_liar_" in her head.

His expression relaxes, the stern look turning into a softer, happier one.

"Goodnight, Emma," he says but he doesn't release her hand, instead stroking his finger along it.

Emma knows that if she stays in the car any longer, she might do something she regrets but she can't stop looking at him. Feeling like she has been caught in a daze, she licks her lips, watching as Killian's eyes follow the motion.

"Emma..." he says and tugs her a little closer.

The closeness is enough to snap Emma out of her daze. She gently pulls her hand away and says, "Goodnight Killian."

He blinks at her rapidly, surprise colouring his expression. Emma realizes quickly that this is the first time she has called him by his real name, and she feels the surprise cover her face as well.

"I need to go," she says, and climbs out of the car quickly.

She closes the door behind her without looking back and gets into her car. It is only when they have driven off in different directions that Emma is finally able to catch her breath. No one has ever affected her like this, and it scares her especially because she knows that she isn't supposed to be feeling this way. She isn't supposed to be...god, she can't even admit what she is feeling to herself.

To get her mind off of her screwed up situation, she calls into the office. She gives her credentials and waits for someone to pick up.

"Ms. Swan, do you have something for us?" Archie says when he picks up the phone.

Emma breathes a sigh of relief. She'd rather have Archie on the phone at the moment than have to face Regina.

"I was just in one of Gold's warehouse. He had stacks high of blu-rays, DVDs and game systems. He also had three cars with Mashimoto ZX tires."

"Really?" Archie says, sounding completely surprised.

Archie murmurs something to someone in the background, and then comes back to the phone.

"Are you absolutely sure that it's him, Emma?" he says.

"I just know what I saw," Emma says. There is a niggling feeling that she might be wrong, and she thinks of the three cars that Yvette had. "But let me get more information first, just to confirm that it is him. Give me more time."

"We never really had time to begin with, Ms. Swan. Deputy Chief Mills has already decided that we should raid, and I - I agree."

"But -"

"Goodbye, Ms. Swan," Archie says and ends the call.

* * *

The raid on Gold's offices and buildings goes off without a hitch. They swarm in on him, different units heading to different buildings. Emma joins the unit going to Gold's house and watches as they arrest him, taking him away in cuffs.

"All my dealings are perfectly legal, dearies," Gold tells the officers that pull him out of his cushy office chair and lead him out of his house. Emma scoffs at that. She has seen some of his dealings; there is nothing legal about beating a man half to death. She wonders if she can get him on that, but shakes her head. Without a complaining witness, she wouldn't have a case, and she doubts that Jerry would be willing to testify against Gold.

His calmness though, that worries her, and she finds out not hours later when she is back at base that she had good reason to be worried.

"His alibis check out," Regina tells her angrily. "And all the tech was bought and paid for legally. The bastard must've been waiting for us; he had all the books on him, down to the smallest receipt."

Emma runs both hands down her face, feeling exhausted. All that work for nothing, and they were going to blame her when it was their impatience that had lead to all the wasted time and money.

"Miss Swan," Regina starts, turning on her just as Emma expected she would.

"Don't get started on me. I told you to wait until I was certain," Emma says.

"Well, when will you be certain because Time. Is. Running. Out," Regina says sharply.

Emma stands up from her seat and walks to where Regina is standing. Regina doesn't take a step back but her eyes flicker quickly from Emma's holstered weapon to her men. Emma rolls her eyes. She isn't going to attack her superior, and why would Regina even be worried about that?

"I'm leaving," Emma says. "I'll call you when I have something definitive."

Emma takes another step towards Regina, and then turns on her heel and walks out of the building. She hears the sound of heels clicking behind her, and Emma stops just before she gets to the pool's walkway.

"Miss Swan, it seems you're going native," Regina says.

"Going native?"

Emma twists sharply to glare at Regina. "I'm not - what I'm doing is my job. I'm this close to finding out the truth -"

"What truth is there to be found? It's been obvious from the very beginning who has been behind these crimes. You're just too blinded by your infatuation to see it," Regina accuses.

Emma opens her mouth to retort, but shuts it before she says something that she'll regret. Regina takes her silence as a sign to continue speaking.

"You choose your family, Miss Swan. Make sure that you choose the right one," Regina says.

She gives Emma one final look before walking back towards the house. Emma stares after her for a long, long time.

* * *

Emma returns to Killian's garage and her apartment. She feels on edge, like her bones are just waiting to crawl out of her skin. When she gets to the garage, Killian is outside, waiting for her.

Emma doesn't feel like she can deal with him right now, so she says as she walks past him, "Killian, I'm really not in the mood."

He starts to follow her, and she stops, turning around to face him.

"What part of 'not in the mood' do you not understand?" she says, infusing the words with every bit of anger she feels.

Ignoring her words, he steps towards her until he is standing over her. Suddenly, Emma's anger is gone, replaced with something else. Emma holds her breath as he grasps her chin with his hand, angling her head up towards him. Stepping even closer, so that Emma is standing between his legs, he inclines his head and kisses her. Acting out of instinct, Emma leans into the kiss. He tastes like cigarette smoke and coffee and something so innately him that it leaves Emma wanting more. She deepens the kiss, darting her tongue into his mouth to slide against his.

When they draw away from each other, Emma twists away and starts to walk up the steps to her apartment. It seems like she is only acting on impulse tonight, because she turns around and says, "Coming?"

Killian nods and trails behind her as she ascends the stairs. Emma's hands shake slightly as she unlocks the door, the sane voice in her screaming that this is a bad idea. The voice that wants this is louder though and she throws sanity out the window, giving in to want instead.

He closes the door behind him, and Emma pushes him up against the door. He obeys readily and when Emma's mouth crashes against his, he gives in to the kiss, allowing her to lead. She pulls away from him with some reluctance.

She grabs him by the hand and tugs him along, down the hallway and to her bedroom. He raises an eyebrow at her and Emma shushes the question before he can ask it by kissing him again.

Killian's hand strokes against the small of her back. Emma lets out a sharp cry and drags her lips away from his. Her mouth feels bruised, swollen and she wants him so badly that it scares her.

Killian must see something in her face because he sighs and says, "If you don't want to -"

"I do want to," Emma cuts him off, snaking a hand beneath his t-shirt to feel the hard muscle of his stomach. They both sigh out in unison. She pulls her hand away a little unwillingly, allowing Killian to strip the shirt off.

Pushing him down flat on the bed, Emma hooks one leg over his waist and straddles him. She leans down to kiss him, savouring the feeling of his lips against hers.

She grinds against him, reveling in the noise she elicits from him. When he grinds back though and flips them so that she is lying flat on her back on the bed, she gasps.

He pulls her shirt over her shoulders and then goes for her shoes and the belt of her jeans. While he slides her pants down her hips, Emma slides her bra off. The cool air in her bedroom goes straight through her, but his hands soon return to her body, warming her up. When his finger brushes against her nipple, Emma arches her back against the thrill of pleasure that rushes through her.

Killian says something to himself and then leans down, capturing a nipple in his mouth. She makes a noise somewhere between a cry and a moan, and nearly bites her tongue off when he lavishes the same attention on the other nipple.

Peppering kisses across her abdomen as he moves lower, Killian slides his hands down her body. The prosthetic feels weird on her skin, but Emma barely notices it when his mouth travels even lower.

He slides her underwear down her past her hips, and Emma kicks them off. She is about to point out that he is still mostly dressed while she is completely uncovered, but he seems to read her mind, kicking off his shoes and unbuckling his pants. When he leans back over her, he is in only his boxers, which he soon discards. Emma's eyes flicker away, but then her confidence returns and she returns her gaze to him.

"Where was I?" Killian murmurs.

He moves down between her legs, spreading her so that her knees are resting on his shoulders. His hot breath moves over her skin, igniting a flame within her. His tongue delves between her folds. Emma gasps out, snaking her hands in the sheets as the fire begins to burn in her belly. When Killian moves his tongue to her clit, Emma loses control. She grips the sheets in her hands, holding on to them like a lifeline, and tightens her legs around his shoulders as the pleasure reaches its climax.

When she comes down, Killian is already moving over her, positioning himself between her legs. He looks to her in question, and Emma nods furiously, giving him permission.

He grasps himself in hand and presses himself against her, before pushing inside. Her body flutters around him, tightening and then allowing him deeper.

His thrusts are slow at first, slow and deep. Emma closes her eyes against the sensation. The fire in her belly has spread to her whole body. She can feel it in her fingers as she searches for something to hold on to as the fire continues to build.

She scratches blunt nails down Killian's back, gripping him tightly as he moves inside of her. She aches with her need for him. She pushes her hips up to meet his, wanting to be even closer.

"Emma," he says. "Love."

She quiets him by pulling his head down and kissing him fiercely. She doesn't want to talk now, all she wants to do is feel.

It feels amazing. It feels like coming home.

Biting her lip to stop the keening cry that starts in the back of her throat, she goes over the edge. Her vision whites out for a moment and when she comes to Killian is still moving inside of her though his thrusts are faster now, more uncontrolled.

He says her name once again and then his thrusts slow down as he comes down. Slowly, he rolls off of her and lies beside her on the bed. Killian pulls her to him so that her head is tucked beneath him and resting on his chest.

Emma starts to say something, but finds she has no words for everything she feels right now. All she wants to do is not think about anything except how calm she feels in his arms.

Emma falls asleep with her head on his chest and her hand intertwined with his.


	6. Chapter 6

**Title: **Driving In Cars With Boys

**Summary: **Fast and the Furious AU. Emma/Killian. LAPD detective Emma Swan is sent undercover to see who is ripping off truck drivers before the truck drivers start to take matters into their own hands. She knows that it must be someone in the street racing world, run by Captain Hook and his crew, so she infiltrates his gang, intending to find the culprits. She never thought that she'd get so caught up in him and his world that she'd risk everything, her career, her life, for this one-handed criminal.

**Notes: **This is the second to last chapter and I've had it planned out since I rewatched the Fast and the Furious and started this fic. I hope you enjoy it! Unbeta'ed so any and all mistakes are my own, feel free to point them out.

* * *

Emma wakes up the next morning before Killian does. She blinks awake, memories of the night before flooding her senses. It's too much for her, realizing what she has done. Emma crawls out of the bed carefully, so as not to wake Killian. She gets dressed in the same fashion and leaves him in her apartment.

When she gets into her car, she just sits there, trying to figure out what to do next. Race Wars is this week. She'll need to face him before then, and it isn't like she can just avoid her own apartment. She needs a shower, she needs to eat - she just needs to get her head together, build her composure back up, pretend like yesterday never happened. But how can she do that when -

Emma claps a hand to her mouth, furiously _not_ thinking about it.

A tap on her window makes her jump. Slowly, she turns her head to see Killian standing beside the car in nothing but his boxers.

"Emma?"

Emma curses herself for not driving away fast enough, for not leaving when she had the chance. She reminds herself that she is stronger than these wild emotions, and it is that thought that makes her get out of the car and walk over to where he is standing.

"Killian," she says, managing a small, nervous smile.

"Running away?" he asks carefully. His eyes seek hers, as if he can find the answer in her gaze.

"Running, no. Driving, yes," Emma says, trying for a light tone but failing miserably.

"Why?" he asks.

"I need some space, need to get some fresh air," she says quickly. She hopes he doesn't notice how breathless she sounds or how she is digging her nails into her palm to keep herself calm.

"I don't think you should be running away, Emma. We need to talk about this. You can't just leave every time someone gets close."

"What are you even talking about?" Emma says evasively, turning her gaze away from him to look down at the ground. She doesn't want to deal with this.

Staring at the ground does nothing to help her already frayed nerves though, so she flicks her head back to him and says, "You don't even know me. You like to think that you do, but you don't."

She finds herself growing angrier and angrier as she continues, "A few lucky guesses, some research, and you think you have a clue - _screw you, Hook._"

He lets out a hoarse laugh. "Oh, so we're back to Hook now? Last night, I thought you'd finally given in, that I'd finally broken down your walls enough to find the Emma underneath. I guess I was wrong."

"I guess you were," Emma snaps back. She feels better, wrapping the anger around her like a shield. She can sink into the anger, use it to forget about the things that she doesn't want to think about.

Before she manages to do that, Killian rubs a hand across his face, and when he looks at her again, it is with such determination that Emma's angry resolve wavers under the weight of his gaze.

"No, no, I don't think I was. In fact, I'm certain that I've gotten under your skin and now you're trying to figure out a way to get me out. Well, it isn't going to work. I'm not going anywhere."

He closes the distance between them. Her anger faded, Emma sucks in a breath of harsh air, trying in vain not to be affected by the proximity. She wants to stand her ground, to prove to him that she feels nothing, except it is such a lie. She doesn't feel nothing; she feels _everything_. She feels like she is being pulled everywhere at once. And deep down all she really wants to do is fall in his arms and pretend that last night wasn't the biggest mistake of her career.

"You alright there, _love_? You look a little on edge, " he says, his tone mocking as he looks her over.

"Stop it. Just stop! Why can't you just let it go?" she says. Emma realizes that she is begging, but she doesn't care at this point. She just wants - she knows what she wants, but she can't have that. She _can't._

"Because Emma Swan," he spits out angrily. "I'm not used to feeling this way either. Do you think that this is easy for me? I liked you from the start, more than liked you, and I haven't felt this way about someone in such a long time, I barely remember how it is to be..."

"To be?" Emma asks, not sure that she wants the answer.

"To be in love," Killian finishes.

"Oh."

Emma stares into his eyes, trying to ferret out the lie. She has a sixth sense about these things usually; it is her special talent. She can always spot a liar, but either her talent has failed her this time, or he really is telling the truth. And if he is telling the truth, then she has no idea what to say to that.

Killian stares down at her like he can see right through her. Maybe he can. She doesn't know what to think anymore. She doesn't _want_ to think anymore.

So, she doesn't.

Instead, she leans forward and presses her lips against his in a soft kiss. Killian doesn't move at first. After a long moment in which Emma's heart feels like it is trying to escape the confines of her chest, he finally kisses her back.

When they pull apart, Emma is breathing harshly and so is he. She still feels so confused, but with trepidation, she says, "You're right."

"Right about what?" he asks, giving her a careful, guarded look.

"You're right that I run away when people get too close, and you're right that I do feel something for you," she admits.

She takes a deep breath. "I guess I just don't know how to deal with these feelings."

He takes her hand in his good one and says, "Well, we can figure it out together."

"Together," Emma says, thinking of Regina's last words and the job she still needs to do. "I think I like the sound of that."

* * *

Killian follows her up the stairs, back to her apartment and takes a seat on her living room couch while she busies herself in the kitchen, making coffee. While she is doing that, he calls his crew and tells them to take the day off.

"Gave everyone the day off," he says when she returns with two mugs of coffee.

Emma gives him a look of happy surprise, and Killian knows he made the right decision.

"So, what's the plan for the rest of the day, then?" Emma asks curiously, sipping at her coffee.

Killian smirks at her lasciviously. "I have a few ideas."

Emma rolls her eyes at him, and then her expression shifts. A smile slowly spreads across her face, and she places her coffee on the table before crossing the distance between them. She takes his coffee out his hand, placing it next to hers.

"Emma," he starts, but quiets when she wraps her arms around his neck and pushes him back against the couch, straddling him.

"Emma," he groans out as her lips cover his own. His hands reach out to wrap around her waist, the fingers of his good hand sliding underneath the bottom of her top to touch the soft skin underneath. In moments like these, where he truly wants to feel, he really misses having two hands. For the first time though, he doesn't think of the loss of his hand with his usual anger. Staring into Emma's eyes, all he can think about is her.

They stop kissing for a moment and sit there with Emma resting in his lap and their foreheads pressed against each other. Emma's eyes are closed, and Killian studies the way her eyelashes fall against her skin. She really is beautiful, stunning really. There is something to her beauty that just pulls him in. Maybe it's the way her golden tresses fall against her shoulders. Maybe it's the adorable way she scrunches her nose when she is intensely focusing on something. Maybe it is the way she just _is._ She has captivated him in a way no one has since Milah, and he thinks fiercely that he isn't going to let her go. Not this time. Not for anything.

"Maybe we shouldn't do this," Emma murmurs, her eyes still closed.

"And why not? What's stopping us? What's stopping you?"

She doesn't answer for a long moment and then finally she says, "Nothing. Nothing at all."

He doesn't quite believe her, but she kisses him so matter-of-factly that he has no choice but to give in. She kisses him like it is the last time they'll ever see each other and Killian gives into his own passion, giving as good as he gets. By the time they come up for air, Killian's lips feel swollen, bruised in the best way possible.

"Do you want to -"

"Gods yes," Emma replies before he can get the question out fully. She climbs off of him and he throws his head back, laughing happily. Killian thanks whoever can hear him for sending him Emma and then follows her to the bedroom.

They spend the rest of their day in bed, only getting up to eat. It isn't just the sex that keeps them there. In fact, most of the day is actually spent talking to each other. Emma tells him about her childhood, about being shifted from home to home before she decided to run away and start a life of her own. Killian tells her about growing up in Ireland, about his happy childhood and coming to the USA.

When she tells him about the first man that broke her heart, he holds her hand throughout the telling of the tale and doesn't let it go until she kisses him softly and says that she'd much rather think about happier things.

"Do I make you happy?" he asks her as he spreads her thighs with his knees.

Her breath hitches, her bare chest rising and falling seductively. Wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him down for another kiss, she whispers, "You do."

* * *

Somehow she manages to hold it together for the rest of the week. She smiles, she laughs, and she enjoys herself like she isn't planning on betraying Killian, like she isn't the cop that is going to take him down.

Emma shows him a side of herself that she thought she'd sealed away long ago. She allows herself to be vulnerable with him, to feel things that she never thought she'd feel again.

And she loves it. She loves spending time getting to truly know him whether it is a throwaway line spoken to her while they're putting the finishing touches on her car in the garage or a deep heart to heart over dinner. She loves revealing herself to him. It feels like lifting a weight off her shoulders, a weight that she has carried for too long.

She feels good. She feels wonderful. She feels amazing.

Emma feels like she is in love but she wakes up the day before Race Wars in Killian's bed feeling like the world is about to end - her world at least. She takes deep shaky breaths, trying to keep herself calm, but it doesn't work. She needs to leave, needs to be somewhere that Killian is not. She doesn't want to think about how badly she has gone off course, but it is all she can think about.

Like the morning after the first night they spent together, Emma sneaks out of the bed. This time, she doesn't plan to get caught. She is going to drive away as soon as she gets to her car.

Killian must have a sixth sense to her running away though. Before she can even unlock the door to her car, she hears footsteps behind her. Her heart trembling in her chest, Emma turns to face him.

"I thought we already did this once. Are you running away again?" Killian says, looking and sounding both angry and tired.

"I'm just going to get ready," Emma lies with a bright, fake smile, not quite meeting his eyes. "You can come meet me at my apartment when you're ready to head out to Race Wars."

His expression softens, his brow straightening, and after a long moment, he finally says, " I'll see you - we'll talk later."

His words leave no room for argument. Emma breathes a sigh of relief that he isn't forcing her to talk now, but then grimaces at the thought of having to have the conversation later. She finishes the walk to her car when a thought occurs to her, and she stops, turns back towards Killian.

"When you say talk, does that mean we're going to finally have that conversation about your _other_ source of income?"

Killian nods. "We'll talk about everything, so long as you do what you're supposed to."

Emma raises an eyebrow at him. "And what's that?"

"Win," he says.

She smiles at him, feeling calmer than before and says, "Well, it's the least I can do."

"Get going," he says with a roll of his eyes and a shake of his head. His head is downcast, but there is a smile on his face.

"See you later," she says and gets into her car. When she is halfway down the street, she thinks to call into work, but what could she tell them? _Hello, Regina, I'm sleeping with the guy that I'm certain is behind these heists and I think I'm in love with him, but I'm going to have to turn him in when he finally gives me the evidence I need._

_Yeah_, she scoffs, _that'll go over well_.

Instead she goes home and showers before jumping back into bed. She sleeps without dreaming, which she is supremely grateful for. All the good things that she could dream about can never happen, so what would be the point in dreaming about them?

When Killian comes to meet her, she is ready to face him. _I can do this, _she thinks and keeps repeating it like a mantra.

She isn't ready. Emma realizes that as soon as she opens the door and sees him. He is wearing a black leather jacket that matches her red one and a simple t-shirt and jeans and he looks _so _damn good that Emma just wants to pull him inside and forget her job for one more moment.

"Ready to follow me into the great unknown?"

She doesn't answer, distracted by the thought of him behind bars. Prison is an ugly place. Emma was only in juvie and she never wanted to go back. She knows Killian feels the exact same way.

_Why? Why do this then?_ she asks herself. It is a question that has been plaguing her mind since she finally allowed herself to recognize that the heists had to be pulled off by him. It is a question that she still hasn't figured out the answer to.

"Emma?" Killian asks her, worry etched in his features.

She realizes how she must seem, and says, "Sorry, what did you say? I was distracted."

"By me?" he says with a grin.

Emma punches him playfully. "If you must know," she says, "Yes."

It isn't a lie; she _was_ distracted by him, just not in the way he assumes.

"I know I'm gorgeous, love, but that's no reason to lose your head," he fake chastises.

"Come on, lover boy, let's go," she says and pushes him out the door and down the steps. She takes a deep breath as she locks the door behind her and tells herself again that she can do this. The more she says it, the falser it sounds.

They both get into their separate cars, Emma taking her red Supra Turbo and Killian taking his Jetta. Emma follows him out into the desert, to Race Wars. By the time they get there, the sun is high in the sky and Jefferson, Ruby, Victor, and Smee are already there, waiting for Emma and Killian.

Emma spends the rest of the day hanging out with Ruby while Killian discusses some kind of business with Victor, Jefferson and Smee. Near the end of the day, Ruby wanders off for food and Emma finds Jefferson getting ready for his race.

"Jefferson, what are you doing?" Emma asks him, gazing curiously at the piece of paper in his hand.

"Putting my car up as collateral if I don't win this race, which I will."

Emma shakes her head and tries to grab the slip of paper out of his hands. When he deftly avoids her snatching hands, she says, "Don't do this. Alice will kill you if you lose the car."

"Nah, she won't," Jefferson says. He shrugs his shoulders, cracking his neck. "I'm ready to do this."

"But - " Emma starts. Jefferson cuts her off with a roll of his eyes.

"Seriously, Emma, I wouldn't risk it if I wasn't sure of the outcome. I wouldn't do that to Alice. I wouldn't do that to Grace."

Emma nods. He is so deadly serious that Emma knows he is right. He is going to win, and he is going to do it with style. There is nothing for her to worry about.

"I suppose wishing you good luck would be pointless, then," Emma says.

"A little more luck never hurt," Jefferson says with a wink.

He heads over to his plain white Jetta and Emma follows behind his car as he drives over to the starting line. He is racing one of Yvette's crew, a short haired girl named Lana that came into Killian's shop two weeks ago and flirted with Killian. Emma remembers trying to push the jealousy down and feeling ashamed of herself for needing to do so. Seeing Lana now, Emma isn't nervous or jealous anymore. Whatever Yvette bought, it couldn't match what Jefferson put into his car. She wouldn't have minded having Killian here to watch the race with her though.

As if the thought called to him, Killian appears beside her.

"Done with whatever you guys were discussing? And just in time too," Emma says.

Killian smiles at her. "Yeah, I wouldn't have missed watching Jefferson race."

Jefferson's race starts and ends in less than two minutes. Jefferson starts off far behind Yvette's girl, but as if by magic, he shoots off like a rocket, surpassing her and crossing the finish line. He turns around and heads back to where Killian and Emma are waiting.

"Told you that I had it in the bag," Jefferson says when he gets out of his car. He raises his hands as if waiting for applause. Killian punches him in the shoulder good naturedly instead and Emma high-fives him.

"Nice one," Killian compliments. Killian and Jefferson give each other what Emma dubs the "bro" look and then both burst out laughing.

"My race is next. I'm going to go get my car and I'll be back. Pay the man so I can race," she says to Killian when he's done with his laughing fit.

"Bossy," he says with a grin. "You know I like it when you order me around."

Emma rolls her eyes, grinning as well, and says, "Get going, Killian."

She ignores the way Jefferson watches them, amusement written all over his face.

"Maybe we should call you the Captain," Jefferson shouts after her as she starts to walk away.

"Maybe you should," she says turning on her heel to face him before continuing to her car.

Emma gets into her car and starts up the engine and the NOS pre-process. She drives to the starting line where Killian, Jefferson and Smee are now waiting with the middleman, the man they give who starts the races and holds the money.

Behind the wheel of her car, Emma feels all-powerful. She grips it tightly, releases her grip, and then grips it tightly again, the restless energy making her fidgety.

She looks out the window and meets eyes with the other driver. He is one of Gold's men; Killian told her earlier that she'd be racing him. He glares at her before turning his eyes back to the track. Emma shrugs her shoulder s at his reaction and then follows his example, focusing her attention back on the road as she waits for the go signal.

After a long moment, the middleman shouts "Go!" and she puts her foot to the gas, racing down the track. They're side by side for the beginning of the race, but Emma presses down harder on the gas and she overtakes him.

Moments later, he passes her by. The finish line is still a mile away. Emma shakes her head at him, smiling to herself. He used his NOS way too soon, probably scared by the speed of her car. She pushes her foot down as far on the pedal as it will go and comes back up beside him. When they're a few meters away from the finish line, she flips the switch on her NOS and overtakes him yet again, crossing the finish line before him.

She pulls her car to a screeching halt that probably burned the rubber on her tires, but she can't bring herself to care. She won. She and her car did it. She can't prevent the grin that spreads across her face.

Emma makes a U-turn and heads back to the start of the race to collect her money. She hears the driver follow behind her and then he passes her by. She doesn't pay much attention to it until she reaches the starting line and sees him get out of his car.

Emma steps out of the car only to meet her rival's angry form. Like Gold's other man, he is good foot and half taller than her and built like a monster.

"You cheated, woman!" he says. He points an accusing finger at her and looms over her as if his size will intimidate her.

"Excuse me, buddy, but I didn't cheat. Get over yourself, you just weren't that hard to beat," Emma says, refusing to back down.

"Lying bitch," he says and raises his hand to hit her. Before the blow can connect, Emma knees him in the crotch. He goes down like a ton of bricks, clutching his injured goods.

"Fucking - fuck," he splutters.

That is when the crowd comes. She can hear Victor and Smee calling her name, but Killian is the first one to push through it and reach her.

"I saw trouble and tried to get here as quickly as I could, but I see you've handled it yourself."

"Or not," he says seconds later. "Duck!"

Emma obeys, lowering her head so when the man tries to hit her, his fist connects with only air. Emma moves out of the way as Killian takes the man on, punching him in the face. Emma steps behind the man as he and Killian fight it out. Killian gets punched in the face, and she kicks the driver in the back of his shin, causing him to fall to the ground again.

Killian continues to punch at him. The driver falls to his hands and knees, and when he does, Killian knees him in the face.

"Stop, it's done," Emma says.

Killian tenses when she grabs his arm, but he does stop. She pulls on him to move. He stays his ground however.

"I just want to go back to the trailer. Come on, Killian!" Emma says, tugging at his arm again. Killian finally acquiesces, allowing her to lead him through the crowd and back to their trailer. She slams open the door and pulls Killian inside. He shuts the door behind them.

"What was that all about?" Emma demands.

"He tried to hurt you. What did you expect me to do, just let him do it?" Killian says, throwing his hands in the air in an affronted motion.

"I didn't expect you to go crazy on him," Emma says.

"Sorry for trying to defend you," he snaps.

"I don't need you to defend me," Emma says. "I'm perfectly capable of defending myself."

Killian lets out a heavy sigh. "I don't want to fight. I'm sorry for being so heavy handed. I just - I got a little crazy when he went after you. It's not the first time Gold has..." He trails off. "Never mind."

He fixes her with an intense look, and then says, "I promised that we'd talk."

Emma stares at him. She knows that she looks like a deer in headlights, but in the thrill of the race and the chaos of the fight, she'd completely forgotten that they were supposed to talk about his other dealings. _Shit._

"Let's not talk now," Emma pleads. It's stupid; she shouldn't be doing this. She should do her job, but all she wants is just a little while longer to pretend.

"Emma," he starts to say. Emma cuts him off by pulling him to her and kissing him softly. He makes a groaning noise, before deepening the kiss. He lifts her up against him and carries her over to the bed. They kiss until they're both breathless from it, and then they kiss some more. They fall to the bed and it isn't long before they are moving together. Emma clings to him, unwilling and unable to let him go. Not yet.

Finally, they pull apart. Emma snuggles down into the bed and when Killian gets up to leave, Emma grabs him by the wrist, and says, "Stay."

"Alright," he says, smiling down at her.

He falls back down against the bed, wrapping an arm around her body as Emma turns on her side to face the wall of the trailer. She pulls his arm snug against her chest, and threads her fingers through his. It is his good hand so the warmth is comforting. Soon, cocooned in his embrace, she falls asleep.

Emma wakes up in the trailer alone. She heads outside into the night to look for Killian, but finds Ruby standing outside the trailer door, crying silently into her hands.

"Ruby, what's happening? Where is everyone?" she asks as she looks around and sees that Killian's car and he and his crew are gone.

Ruby stops crying and rubs the tears off her face with her hands. She turns to Emma then, a closed off expression on her face.

"It isn't anything. It's not your concern," Ruby says sharply, and Emma knows. She knows where they've gone, the illusion that she tried so hard to maintain shattered.

"Ruby I-"

She pauses. Ruby gives her an inquiring look.

"Ruby, I'm a cop."

Ruby's eyes widen and she claps her hands to her mouth.

"No," she says, the word muffled by her hands.

"Yes," Emma says. "I'm a cop, so if you don't want this to be worse, you have to tell me where they are."

"You can't be - we _trusted _you," Ruby says.

Ruby looks away from her as if she can't bear to look at Emma any longer. Emma can't blame her.

"Ruby, you have to tell me where they are," Emma begs.

Ruby, still looking away from her, says, "I don't know. I don't know where they go. I didn't want to know."

"Ruby..."

"But!" Ruby says, "Can't you track them using their cell phones?"

Emma smacks a hand across her face. _Of course._

"Ruby, thank you," Emma says. Ruby doesn't look at her, but nods slightly.

Emma starts to walk away, but Ruby stops her with a hand on her arm. "They can't go to jail. Please."

Emma doesn't know what to say. She is a cop, she knows that jail is the only conclusion to the heists they've been pulling. Still, there is a part of her that wishes it wasn't so.

"Emma," Ruby says hoarsely.

Emma blinks slowly, finds that there is a wetness behind her eyes that just won't go away.

"Ruby, I need to go," Emma says and pulls away.

She races to her car, and Ruby follows. Emma turns her head to stare at her when Ruby jumps in the passenger seat.

"You're not going alone. I have more stake in this than you do," Ruby says bitterly.

Emma's breath hitches at her words. She deserves that, she does. She has betrayed Ruby's trust, and Emma can't blame Ruby for hating her. The words still hurt though, and Emma can't ignore the little voice that says that she has just as much invested in keeping the boys safe as Ruby does. _Killian,_ she thinks and dials into the office so that they can track Killian's cell phone.

"We're going to have to drive all night," Emma says when she gets off the phone.

Ruby gives her a careful once-over.

"So you're really a cop."

Emma nods. "I was trying to find out who's been hijacking truck drivers and stealing their goods. I was sent undercover to infiltrate your crew and gain Killian's trust so that he'd tell me. I didn't mean - I didn't want it to come to this."

"You didn't mean to make us think that you were someone trustworthy enough to let into our lives, our homes? Or you didn't mean for us to find out until you were gone?" Ruby snaps.

"What they're doing is illegal and if we don't get to them in time, they could get seriously hurt. So why don't you save your anger for later, okay?" Emma retorts angrily.

"Okay," Ruby agrees and crosses her arms over her chest in a grudging motion.

Emma starts up the car and heads for the highway. They drive for hours, and every minute that passes, Emma's fear intensifies. The what-ifs plague her mind. _What if I don't get there in time? What if I miss them? What if they get hurt?_

_What if?_

* * *

Killian leaves only moments after Emma has fallen asleep. _I'm pulling one of her moves,_ he thinks as he carefully extracts himself from her embrace, and then dresses quietly so as not to wake her. He should've told her. He should've insisted on it, but he is weak when it comes to her. She didn't even have to beg him, he was already lost when she turned her gorgeous blue eyes on him.

_This is the last time_, he thinks and that sort of makes him feel better about not telling her.

He leaves the trailer and finds Jefferson, Smee, and Victor waiting outside for him.

"Ready?" he asks them.

"Yeah," Victor says. "We've been waiting."

"Let's go then," Killian says.

Ruby runs over to them just as they're about to pile into Killian's car.

"Don't do this. It's stupid, and you don't need to do it," she says.

"Ruby," Victor says, stressing her name. She turns her head towards him, beseeching him with her eyes.

"We gotta go," he says and walks over to her. He places a kiss on her forehead and whispers, "It'll all be fine. We'll be back soon."

Watching them, Killian feels guilty about leaving Emma with no explanation. He doesn't have time to amend the situation though, so he forces the feeling down and climbs into his car.

They drive to the outpost where they keep their cars. Killian climbs out of his Jetta, followed by his crew, and starts up his black Civic.

He turns to Jefferson, Smee, and Victor who stand around him, waiting for their instructions.

"Stay on my tail, Jefferson. Smee, I want you to hang back, cover the rear. Victor, as always you're with me," Killian says, giving his crew their orders.

They nod at him, but Jefferson looks to the sky and says, "This doesn't feel right."

Killian agrees, but he can't turn back now, so he says, "Just remember, after this, we're done. This is the last hit we have to pull, so just try to keep it together."

"Alright, then let's do this and be done with it," Jefferson says. He is the first one to head to his car and everyone follows his example, climbing into their cars.

Killian is putting on his seatbelt when Victor turns to him and says, "Maybe Jeff's right. Maybe this is a bad idea."

He turns to look at Victor, noting the worry in his gaze.

"It'll be fine," he says with more assurance than he feels.

He starts up the car and hits the highway. They drive until the break of dawn and by the time the sun is high in the sky, they have the truck in their sights. The highway is empty and the sky is clear, and Killian feels better about this job already.

"You can do this, Victor," Killian says when he glances over and sees Victor's nervous expression. Victor's resolve strengthens and he gives Killian a confident smile.

"Yeah, I can," he says and prepares the grappling hook gun. Victor puts on his helmet.

"Alright, mates, it's go time," Killian says into his radio.

Smee responds just as Victor is climbing through the roof of the car with the grappling gun. "We're good to go, Captain. I've got nothing on the scanners."

Killian hears more than sees Victor shoot the gun. Over the sound of his car racing down the freeway, he hears the crash of the glass of the truck driver's window as it hits the pavement. He hears the whoosh as Victor shoots the grappling gun again, this time into the passenger side seat.

_It's all going to go well, same as before, _Killian thinks until he looks in his rearview mirror and catches sight of the driver.

"Fuck, Victor don't go!" he shouts, but it is too late. Victor is already on the hood of the truck.

The shots ring off once, twice, as the driver aims his rifle at Victor.

"What the hell is going on?" Smee's voice comes over the radio followed by Jefferson's shout of "Get him off of there! He's got a gun."

"It's one of Gold's men," Killian responds quickly. "I need a distraction, Jeff."

"I'm coming," Jefferson says.

The shots continue to ring off and Killian pulls back to try and reach Victor who is splayed across the front of the truck, still hooked into the grappling hook. Killian stretches out his arm to try and reach him but the distance is too far.

"Unhook yourself!" he shouts.

"I can't," Victor yells back.

"Unhook yourself!" Killian demands again. Another shot rings out, this time aimed at him. It whizzes right past his head, and Killian climbs back into the car.

"Jefferson, where the fuck are you?" he shouts into the radio.

Jefferson's car appears right next to his and Killian pulls back out of his way. While Gold's man is busy trying to hit Jefferson's car, Killian yells at Victor, "Try to grapple around to the door!"

Victor nods at him and then makes the jump. He comes up around the front of the truck and on the side of the door, but is injured in the process. Killian can see the blood drip down his arm from the deep cut that the tangled wire inflicted. Victor shouts out painfully.

"Fuck!" Killian curses. He tries again to reach out to Victor, but just as he does, Jefferson is hit by the swerving truck and sent flying onto the side of the road.

"Jefferson!" Killian shouts. Trying to keep a calm head with his foot still on the gas, he says into the radio, "Smee, go back and get Jeff."

"Aye," Smee says.

Killian pulls up against the truck again and once again tries to reach out to Victor. He gets his engine shot in the process. Black smoke unfurls into the sky, pouring out of his destroyed engine. Killian slams his hands against the wheel, cursing ruthlessly as he is forced to pull over. He can't get to Victor now, and Victor is going to die, and it is all Killian's fucking fault.

_Why didn't I just stay with Emma?_ he thinks and that is when Emma's car appears, passing him by as it speeds after the truck and Victor.

* * *

Emma sees Jefferson's car crash. Ruby cries out in horror, but before Emma can pull over to help, Smee is already there. Instead of stopping, she keeps going. Victor is still in trouble and Killian's car isn't going to last much longer. The engine smokes from where the driver shot it, and Killian pulls over to the side of the road. Emma pushes harder on the gas until she has Victor within her sights.

Emma's eyes widen when she sees that the truck driver is the same guy who shot out Killian's tires and headlights weeks ago. _Gold_. Gold must have put out a hit on them, Gold must be the one arming the truck drivers. Somehow he knew that Killian would go after this truck's cargo and he placed his man inside so that he could lie in wait for them to attack.

_Fuck._

"Ruby, take the wheel," she says.

"What?" Ruby says, her voice strained.

"Take the wheel! Put your foot on the gas. I'm going after Victor," Emma says.

Ruby finally manages to take control of the car. Emma stares at the truck, measuring the jumping distance. Another shot rings out through the front of the car and Victor cries out as the truck swerves, tugging on his torn arm.

"Pull me in closer!" Emma shouts over the sound of yet another gunshot.

Ruby does as she is told, driving the car closer. Emma thinks she can manage this jump so she says, "Keep it steady. I'm going over."

She jumps wildly, managing to clasp her hand on the door handle and pull herself up from the ground.

"Hold on Victor," she says to him. He doesn't seem to hear her. She goes about disentangling his arm, but none of her efforts work.

She thinks quickly. She tries the door handle. The truck door isn't locked. She starts to open it, another shot going through the door and grazing her stomach. It burns, pain flaring up in her abdomen, but she ignores it.

Emma climbs into the truck. The driver tries to hit her with the butt of his rifle. Emma is faster than him though, ducks beneath his blow and pulls out her own weapon.

"Put the gun down and pull this truck over," Emma says, pressing the gun to his throat.

The truck driver takes a moment to mull this over, but in the end he makes the right decision . He places his gun down on the seat and slows the truck down. He pulls over to the side of the road, and Ruby follows. Emma keeps her gun against the driver's throat, not daring to take her eyes off of him.

"Did Gold put you up to this?" she demands.

"He told me where to be, who to shoot. He didn't want anyone alive, and if I got caught it would be self-defense," the driver says easily, as if unfazed by the closeness of the weapon.

The driver's side door opens and Killian is there, pulling the driver out of the car.

"Killian, stop," Emma says. He ignores her, punching and kicking at the driver. Emma grabs the driver's rifle and climbs out the passenger side to check on Victor who Ruby and Jefferson have already freed from the wire he was trapped in.

"He's shot," Ruby says. "Oh god, he won't stop bleeding."

Emma makes a quick decision. Dropping the rifle to the ground, she says, "Keep pressure on the wound."

Ruby nods, pressing her hand to Victor's gunshot wound. Emma then runs over to where Killian is beating on the driver and pulls him off of him.

"What are you doing, Emma?" Killian demands angrily. His face is red, and his knuckles are bloody and bleeding.

"Victor is dying, I need to call a medevac," Emma says.

"You need to - what?"

She turns her attention from him back to the beaten driver. The tall man is spitting blood onto the pavement and rubbing at his ribs.

"Go," she says. It might not be the best decision she's ever made, but she can't let Killian beat him to death which she is almost certain he will if the driver stays here any longer.

"Emma, you can't -"

Emma ignores him and pulls out her cell as the driver gets into his car. She dials quickly.

"This is Detective Emma Swan , badge number 37296. I need a medevac. I have a man with a gunshot wound to his abdomen and a laceration to his arm."

She looks away from Killian, not wanting to see the betrayal on his face. The truck pulls away. Quickly, she gives the operator the address she is at, and then Emma runs back over to Victor and Ruby.

"The medevac should be here soon," she says just as Smee and Jefferson pull up.

"Thank you, Emma," Ruby says.

The medevac helicopter touches down next to them soon after. Emma stands back as they help Victor into the helicopter. She can't resist looking back at Killian now, and the look on his face makes her breath hitch. There is a cold fury to his gaze as he looks at her, and Emma's brain stubbornly refuses to reconcile that look with the man she spent this past week with.

Before she can think of anything to say, he turns away. The helicopter takes off and Emma is left standing alone, watching everyone leave her behind.

"Ruby, Jeff, Smee, let's go!" he shouts.

Ruby looks back at Emma.

"But what about..." Ruby trails off when Killian turns his furious gaze on her.

"Move!" he says.

Emma shouldn't let them leave. She should be running after them, but she just - she needs a break, a moment to pull herself together. She watches them all pile into Killian's and Smee's cars and take off down the highway.

When she can no longer follow them with her eyes, she pulls out her cell and calls into the office. Regina is the one who picks up the phone this time.

"Miss Swan," she says, "Do you actually have something for me this time?"

Emma feels her anger rise. Putting a cap on it, she says, "I just stopped a robbery in progress. The driver shot one of the culprits and got away. I'm in pursuit of the rest of them now."

"What? Slow down, Miss Swan," Regina says.

Emma shakes her head. "I don't have time to explain everything to you. I have to go."

She knows that she basically told Regina nothing, but she just couldn't bring herself to do it. It is stupid and terrible, but she almost wants them to get away. It would end her career for certain, but - Emma has never been more confused in her life.

Emma gets in her car and drives to Killian's house, but Killian isn't there. She finds him instead at the garage. No one else is with him when Emma enters the garage.

"So nice of you to join me," Killian says nastily. He is standing in the corner of the garage, leaning casually against the wall but there is nothing casual in his expression. He was waiting for her.

"Honestly, I expected you earlier," he remarks, stepping away from the wall.

Emma tenses up as he approaches, taking steps farther inside the garage. She isn't afraid of what he might do to her; she has never been afraid of him and he has never given her reason to. She supposes that now that he knows everything, she should be afraid of what he might do to her, but still she feels no fear.

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting," Emma says.

"It doesn't matter," he says. "I just wanted to say that I'm going after Gold. He tried to kill me and my men. I can't let that stand, not after everything he has done. I won't let him get away this time. Just thought you ought to know so you can have the cuffs ready for me."

He tries to step around her to get to the Jolly Roger, but Emma stands her ground and pushes him away when he gets too close.

"You can't go after Gold. I won't let you!" Emma shouts at him, standing in between him and the car door.

"You don't get a fucking say in this, _Detective Swan,_" Killian says furiously.

"I'm not going to let you throw the rest of your life away," Emma says.

When he approaches her, she elbows him in the stomach. He wasn't expecting that, so he ends up bent over, winded. She uses that opportunity to take his hand and cuff him to the front bumper of his car.

She jumps out of the way when he reaches out to grab at her. She walks to the back of the garage, keeping as much distance between her and Killian as possible without leaving the garage entirely. She needs to find Jefferson and Smee, though she is pretty much certain that the latter is already in the wind. Jefferson is probably at home with Alice and Grace.

Thinking of them, not for the first time, Emma feels the heavy weight of the job she is supposed to do. Putting Jefferson in jail would leave Grace without a father and Alice without a husband. Putting Victor in jail would leave Ruby alone. And Killian - _Killian_ would leave her by herself once again.

"So, this past week, was it all just a way to lure me into a false sense of security?" Killian asks, breaking the silence.

His words feel like a slap to the face. Emma opens her mouth to speak, but isn't sure what to say.

"Pray tell, Emma, what was it?" he demands.

"It was a mistake," Emma lies. "The biggest mistake of my life."

Killian nods his head. "Right, of course," he says. "How could it be anything else but a mistake? Bigger mistake for me than you, though. At least you didn't end up chained to a car."

Emma is tightlipped after that. She can't bear to look at him, knowing that the turmoil she feels within is probably reflected on her face. Of course he had to go and break down all of her walls, leave her defenseless against these feelings of hurt and anguish. Of course, he had to go and make her fall in love with him.

Tears threaten to spill from her eyes. She runs a hand across them, trying to keep them inside. It is only then that she notices just how quiet it is in the garage and she turns around just in time for Killian to slam the cuffs that should've been on him around her wrist, closing the other side around an extra large can of NOS. She goes for the key in her pocket, but he reaches it first, digging into her denim jeans, and throwing the key across the room.

"Sorry, _love_," he says hatefully. "But I don't have time to sit around. I've got a man to kill. Gold is mine."

"Killian!" she shouts as he begins to walk away.

He pauses. "The name," he says, "Is Hook."

"Killian!" she screams again, louder, but this time he doesn't turn around.

"Fuck," she curses as he speeds off in the Jolly Roger.

The can of NOS is too heavy for her to lift, so she doesn't try that. Luckily for her, she always carries a hair pin just in case of something like this. She works it into the lock of the cuffs and in two minutes, she is free.

Jumping into her car, Emma takes off after him.


	7. Chapter 7

**Title: **Driving In Cars With Boys

**Summary: **Fast and the Furious AU. Emma/Killian. LAPD detective Emma Swan is sent undercover to see who is ripping off truck drivers before the truck drivers start to take matters into their own hands. She knows that it must be someone in the street racing world, run by Captain Hook and his crew, so she infiltrates his gang, intending to find the culprits. She never thought that she'd get so caught up in him and his world that she'd risk everything, her career, her life, for this one-handed criminal.

**Notes: **And here's the final chapter. I hope you've enjoyed the fic as much as I enjoyed writing it!

* * *

Killian doesn't know who he is angrier with: Emma or himself. Her for making him feel like a better man only to find out that everything she did and said was a lie, or him for believing that he could actually be truly happy again.

He does know one thing for certain though. He is going to kill Gold if it is the last thing he does.

* * *

Emma gets to Gold's warehouse just in time to see Killian enter the building. She unbuckles her seatbelt, her hand automatically falling to the weapon at her side.

She takes a deep, shaky breath, and hopes that she doesn't have to use it. She doesn't want it to come to that. Emma jumps out of the car and heads for the door to the warehouse.

"Killian!" she shouts when she enters inside.

At first she doesn't see him. All she sees are cars and the same stockpiles of tech. She hears a cry of pain, and she runs to the source of the sound.

When she comes up behind the stockpiles, she finds Killian standing over a fallen Gold. Instead of his prosthetic hand attached to his wrist, in its place is his hook, glinting dangerously in the light of the warehouse.

"Killian, stop!" she yells.

Killian glances back to look at her, but quickly returns his gaze to Gold when the man says, "Are you really going to listen to that woman? Do what you came here to do, or are you to weak for even that?"

"She never loved you," Killian snaps.

"She may never have loved me, but you'll never have her again," Gold says. He looks up at Emma, catching her gaze.

"Though I suppose you've finally found yourself a suitable replacement. Too bad you'll never have her either. Or should I say, Detective Emma Swan will never have you," Gold continues.

"What did you say?" Killian demands, dragging Gold up with his good hand so that they are face to face.

"You were so clueless. It was amusing, watching her get close to you when I knew that the only thing she had on her mind was gathering enough evidence to take you down. It was curious when she decided to raid my offices instead of yours, but I put it down as bad police work on her part."

Emma watches the whole exchange, unsure of what to do. She should be trying to get Killian away from Gold, but all she wants to do is deny Gold's words, tell Killian - tell Killian what? _I'm a cop and I need to take you down, but don't worry, I still love you_.

Killian is silent for a long time and then he says, "You die today, Gold."

"Killian, no!"

He raises his hook, aiming for Gold's chest. Emma tackles him before his blow can connect. Gold falls to the floor with them.

Killian rolls away from her and the n dives for Gold. Emma is too slow to stop him this time. Before she can even get to her feet, Killian has stabbed Gold twice in the chest.

Emma pulls out her cell and dials quickly. She puts in a call for an ambulance to the warehouse. She can already hear the sirens heading their way. Killian starts to run. He gets to his car before Emma can catch up to him. She bangs on the window as he switches out his bloody hook for his prosthetic hand.

"Open the door, Killian," she demands.

"Sorry, love, I'm so sorry," he mouths at her through the window. She jumps back as he takes off down the street. Emma wants to go after him, but Gold is bleeding out in the warehouse.

Cursing, she goes back to find Gold. He tries to stop her when she starts to apply pressure to the wounds on his chest.

"Get away from me," he coughs out.

"Shut up," Emma says. "I'm trying to save your life here. Be grateful and shut the hell up."

"I should just let you die for what you did to Victor. Arming that truck driver, putting out a hit on them...fuck you, Gold," she says, pushing down harder on the wounds than necessary.

He cries out. "You'd really let me die, Ms. Swan? Maybe I was wrong, maybe you do actually love that scum," he coughs out.

"Shut up," she says again, feeling a righteous rage that she is sure she shouldn't feel. Killian just tried to kill Gold, she should be more concerned about his life, should be angry on his behalf. But instead, she is worried about Killian.

Minutes pass before the ambulance and other officers arrive. The medics pull her away from Gold.

"You did good," they say, "Now let us handle the rest."

Emma is grateful to not have to touch him any longer. There is a lot of blood on her hands, but she pays no mind to that, instead focusing on the statement that Gold gives the police.

Her eyes widen when he says, "It was an accident, nothing more," in response to the officer's questions.

"Detective Swan?" the officers turn to her, looking for confirmation.

Emma nods. "What he said, it was an accident," she says. They'll investigate further, they'll have to, and they may end up getting the truth out of Gold. For now however, they take her statement as being enough. They give her weird, suspicious looks, but Emma doesn't have time to address that before she is taken aside by a medic.

"Will he survive?" she asks.

"So far, it looks like it. No shock and it doesn't look like anything vital was hit," the medic says.

Emma doesn't breathe a sigh of relief. Instead, she sighs out in annoyance. Considering everything that he has done, he is getting off too lightly. She didn't want him to die, but she wanted him to hurt. Not particularly cop-like thoughts, but Emma doesn't feel particularly cop-like at the moment, hasn't been feeling that way for a while now.

"Are you hurt?" the medic asks her. He grabs at her arm as if to lead her to the ambulance.

"I'm fine," Emma says, pulling away from him.

"At least, let's get the blood off your hands," the medic says.

"Well, do it quickly," Emma says. It doesn't take long for them to be clean and then Emma, ignoring the calls of the other officer, hops into her car and drives to Killian's house.

When she gets there, she breathes a sigh of relief when she sees his car parked on the street. With shaking hands, Emma calls into the office.

"I've caught him," is all she says before she hangs up.

Emma jumps out of her car and heads towards the house. She tries the front door. It is unlocked. She enters the house. She finds Killian standing in the living room.

"I was waiting for you," he says, holding his hands out. "I'm ready to be taken in for Gold's murder."

Shutting off her brain for a moment, Emma pats him down, making sure that he doesn't have anything to help him out of the cuffs this time, before slapping them across his good hand and then around the pole running down his living room wall .

It is only then that she says, "He's not dead. The medics are going to patch him up."

Killian curses bitterly. "He deserved to die. You should have let him die!"

"Why? I know you hate him and I know what he did today was awful, but why did you try to kill him? There must be something more to it than that, with the way you two talked to each other. Tell me why, Killian. I need to understand," she pleads with him.

"It's a long story," Killian says after a moment of consideration.

"Tell me, I've got time."

Killian clears his throat. He runs his prosthetic hand along his jaw line, trying to figure out where to start. He has never told anyone the whole story before, keeping it close to his heart. Why should he tell her, the cop who currently had him chained to his own wall?

Because he loved her. Despite the betrayal, he loved her. _Damn._

"Her name was Milah, and she was the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen."

He pauses, takes a deep breath. "I wanted her, and she wanted me, but there was a problem: her husband," he continues.

"Gold?" Emma interjects.

"Gold," Killian confirms.

"Milah and I would meet in secret. I would tell her stories, and she'd tell me of her hopes and dreams. We'd lay in bed for hours, just enjoying each other's presence. For a while, that was enough for us, those stolen moments. We soon grew tired of always having to watch ourselves, of always hiding. We decided to run away together," Killian says.

He sighs and closes his eyes as he remembers what came next. "We had everything planned, were ready to leave, but when the time came for us to meet up, Milah was nowhere to be found. Instead, Gold and his men were waiting for me. While Gold's men held me down, Gold cut off my hand. He told me that if I wanted to act like a thief, then I deserved the same punishment as one."

He opens his eyes to see Emma staring at him in horror.

"I never did see Milah again. I know he killed her, though I could never find proof," Killian finishes.

"So that's why you want to kill each other," Emma says quietly. She isn't sure what else to say. She isn't the best at analyzing her own feelings. She is so used to putting up a wall between them and her that she barely recognizes them when they break through that wall, so trying to voice them now is difficult.

"I'm sorry," she says.

He lets out a dry laugh. "You're sorry?"

"I couldn't let you kill him, Killian. I'm sorry that I lied to you, and I'm truly sorry that I ever took this assignment," she says truthfully. She didn't ask for any of this. She had just wanted to do her job, but now she needs to deal with the hand she has been dealt, if only she knew how.

"Rather it have been you than anyone else, love," he says so sincerely that Emma finds herself blinking back tears.

"Killian, I'm really sorry," she says, voice choked.

He captures her wrist with his prosthetic hand and tugs her towards him. She shouldn't let him do this - it is dangerous, he could escape again - but she does anyway, craving the feeling of him pressed against her.

"It's okay, love," he says.

Emma lets out a shaky laugh. "No, no it's not okay. Nothing is okay. It's not okay that you've been ripping off truck drivers. It's not okay that Victor got hurt. It's not okay that I'm sitting here, waiting for my _brothers in arms_ to come and cart you off to jail. And it is definitely not okay that I can't breathe because of how badly I wish that things could be different."

She swipes away at her useless tears.

"Different how?" Killian says quietly.

"I - " she starts and then lets out a small gasp.

_If she_ - but she couldn't - but "you choose your family", Regina had said_,_ the words echoing in Emma's ears.

_"Make sure you choose the right one."_

"I chose you," Emma says, coming back to herself. "I'm choosing you, Killian."

She makes her decision. She stands up and leans over him, and grabbing the key out of her pocket, she releases him from his bonds.

"What are you doing, Emma?" he says, surprise colouring his features.

"I already told you," she says. "I'm choosing you."

She starts to move away from him, but he grabs her by her hands, pulling her to him so that they are standing chest to chest.

"Killian," she breathes out his name.

"Emma, love, I don't understand," he says, his words a plea.

"My boss had some choice words to give me when her raid on Gold didn't pan out. She told me that you have to choose your family and told me to make sure that I chose the right one. Well, that's what I'm doing. I'm choosing you. It's all I've been doing since the day we met, it seems, I might as well keep it up."

She ends her words on choked out laugh. Killian pulls one of their conjoined hands up towards his lips, brushing feather light kisses on her knuckles.

"Emma Swan I -"

"There's no time," she mumbles, trying to pull away. He doesn't let her, keeping a tight grip on her hands.

"There's time enough for this. I don't want you to give up your life, your career for me. It isn't worth it. _I'm_ not worth it."

"You don't get to decide that," Emma says, voice a harsh whisper. "You don't get to decide what I deserve. I want to be with you, Killian. Don't you want to be with me, too?" she says, unable to prevent how vulnerable she feels from coming through in her voice. She sounds broken, and in this moment, she feels broken too. Killian is looking at her like he'd rather go to jail than be with her, and Emma has had her heart broken before but not like this. With every passing second of silence, it hurts even more.

"Emma," he says.

"Don't say it. Just don't -"

The tears start to fall anew, and Emma is surprised when Killian releases her hands to wipe them away.

"Emma Swan, I love you. Of course I want to be with you. Loving you is not the problem. You'd be letting a wanted fugitive run free. You'd lose your job and maybe even go to prison yourself. I nearly killed a man today and I would've done it if you hadn't stopped me. You really want to give everything up for a man like me?"

"Don't you get it? I don't care! Despite everything that's happened, I love you, and I just want to be with you," Emma says defiantly, daring him to argue with her.

Killian swallows audibly. He then leans down and takes her face in his hands, angling her head so that he can kiss her properly. Emma softly moans into the kiss, grabbing a fistful of his shirt to pull him in closer. His hands wrap themselves in her hair. He massages her scalp softly as he plants kisses on her lips. After a long moment, he pulls away and says, "Where will we go?"

"We can go anywhere," she says. "Your choice."

Killian closes his eyes and for a moment she thinks he is going to say "no" again. Emma feels her heart jump up into her throat. She can't take him in; she just can't do it.

"Mexico," he says.

"Mexico? Why?" Emma asks.

"I always wanted to go, never had the chance," Killian says.

"No time to pack," he says wistfully. "I'm going to miss this house."

"Come on," Emma says.

They make their way out the house. Emma heads to her car and cocks her head curiously when instead of joining her, Killian gets into his car. He pulls up beside her and rolls down the window so that he can speak to her.

"Killian?"she says.

" I did owe you that rematch, didn't I?" Killian says with a smirk.

Emma throws her head back, laughing as the wind throws her hair around her face.

"First one to Mexico wins the other's car," Emma says.

"Deal," Killian replies. "See you when you get there."

Emma grins at him. "Enjoy eating my dust."

She pulls away from the curb, and zooms off down the street into the LA sunset.


	8. Epilogue

**Notes: **Thank you so much to everyone who has read, favourited, followed, and reviewed this fic. Here is the epilogue, a precursor to the sequel tentatively titled _Match to Gasoline_.

* * *

The room is cold.

It is an interrogation technique, trying to make her as uncomfortable as possible. They're probably watching her from the other side of the one-way mirror, to see if it is working.

It isn't.

She drums her fingers across the table, bored with the waiting. She stares at the door of the interrogation room, willing it to open. Her wrists are chained to the center of the table. They're worried she might do something to whoever enters through that door. They have no reason to worry. Emma came quietly when they descended on her, surrounding her car on all sides with cop cars, what makes them think that she'll try something now?

Oh yeah, because now she is a felon, on the opposite side of the law from where she started. It is amazing how much that doesn't bother her. There is only one thing that bothers her now: her worry for Killian. Had he been captured too?

After more minutes pass, the door swings open, and Emma is only mildly surprised when Regina enters the room.

"Miss Swan," she says coldly and for the first time, that coldness is justified.

"Regina," Emma says in greeting.

In Regina's hands is a manila folder. Regina is holding it so tightly that it is bending under her fingers. Emma stares at it curiously.

"You let four wanted criminals go, one an attempted murderer that you were having sex with while working the case. Do you have anything to say for yourself?" Regina says finally.

Emma gives Regina her patented "fuck you" smile and says nothing.

"You're in for it now," Regina says, sitting down across from her. "I always knew you'd be trouble. I could sense it on you the minute I met you."

Emma leans forward across the table, smirking at Regina, and says, "Well you should've followed your instincts then, fired me on the spot like I knew you wanted to."

Regina glares at her. Finally she says through gritted teeth," You have one chance to _redeem _yourself and get out of a prison sentence."

Emma mulls this over. Caught, with no hope of escape, and there is only one answer she can give if she wants to see Killian again. She lets out a sigh, and thinks, _I definitely lost the race._

"What do you need me to do?"


	9. MTG - 1

**Title: **Match to Gasoline

**Summary: **Sequel to "Driving In Cars With Boys". On her way out of the country, Emma is caught and given the option of either going to jail or going undercover again to bring down a drug kingpin. Faced with a choice that isn't really a choice at all, Emma accepts the case on one condition - that they bring in her childhood friend as her partner - and heads to Miami. Things are not as they seem however and once again Emma is in a race against time to solve the case before things get out of hand.

**Notes: **Thank you so much to everyone who has followed, reviewed, and favourited Driving In Cars With Boys. Here's the first part of the sequel (it's rather short so far, but next chapter should be longer) and I hope you enjoy it.

* * *

Regina slaps the manila folder on the table, just within reach of Emma's chained hands.

"What's this?" Emma asks as she opens the folder. The first page is just a picture of an older man that Emma doesn't recognize.

"Your new assignment. I'll let Mr. Hopper explain. It's his case," Regina says. She pauses. After a moment, she continues, "Hopefully this is the last time I'll be seeing you Miss Swan. Whatever happens to you now is out of my hands, and I can't say I'm not happy to be rid of you."

"The feeling's mutual," Emma says without looking up. She flips through the folder, bypassing lists of addresses, names, and arrest documents.

Regina leaves the room, and in steps Archie.

"Miss Swan," he says less than cheerfully. "It's nice to see you again."

Emma smiles at him. "I sincerely doubt that."

Archie stares at her for a moment, and then shakes his head as if coming out of a stupor. Walking over to the table, he pulls out a key and unlocks the cuffs around her wrists. Grateful to be out of the cuffs, Emma rubs at her sore wrists as she waits for Archie to explain.

"Albert Spencer, AKA King George," Archie says. "We need your help bringing him down."

"What has he done?"

"Based out of Miami, Spencer owns the biggest import-export business in the state. Unfortunately, the cartels have been successful getting drugs into Miami -"

"Miami?" Emma cuts in. "You're sending me to Miami?"

"That's where we need you," Archie confirms. "Now, the drugs have been coming into Miami, but the cartels have had problems getting the money out. Miami PD has been surveilling him for a year but they've never been able to put him and the money together. They've raided his house, his warehouses, and found nothing. Customs did a great job of getting us this far; they even have an agent in undercover, working travel and logistics for Spencer, though he's been there for a year and we can't confirm his status right now. Recently, Spencer put him in charge of finding some new drivers. That's where we come in. We need you and one of Miami PD to go undercover in the Miami street races, get on Spencer's radar, and connect him with the money."

Emma nods, mulling this information over. "I don't want to work with some cop. I need someone who I know I'll be able to work with."

Archie raise an eyebrow at her. "Ms. Swan..."

"I'm serious. Either I get to choose who I work with or I'll just do my time."

Archie frowns, his mouth forming into a tight line. Finally he says, "Okay. Who do you have in mind?"

"This guy I grew up with in foster care. I don't know where he is right now, but I know you can find him," Emma says.

"His name?" Archie asks.

"August W. Booth."

* * *

The last time Emma saw August, he was chasing her down the street in a boosted Mazda. That was the day Emma got caught in a stolen car, arrested and sent to juvie. He never visited her, but Emma didn't expect him to. People let you down, and August was no exception. He always wanted to travel the world, so Emma assumed that is what he did because when she got out of juvie, he was nowhere to be found.

"We got him," Archie says, reentering the room. "He's on his way to Miami, and now so are you."

"Alright," Emma says and stands up from her chair, following Archie out of the room.

The whole plane ride to Miami all Emma can think about is Killian. _What is he going to think when she doesn't show up? What is he going to do?_ Part of her wants him to keep going, to get as far away from the cops as possible, but another part of her, the part that needs him like she needs air to breathe wants him to try and find her. She wants him by her side so desperately that she aches with it, and she doesn't know how this happened. She has never needed anyone in her life, has never expected anyone to stay by her side, but Killian has become someone that she can't live without.

When they land in Miami, August is waiting in the airport with a man that Emma doesn't recognize. She takes a deep breath and prepares to face him. Resentment and anger starts to build in her as she stares into his handsome, smiling face, and she can't help the words that spill from her mouth.

"Did you even care that I got arrested?"

"Emma..." he says, the smile fading, replaced with an expression of discomfort.

"I'm so sorry," he continues. "If I could make it up to you somehow -"

"You can start by shutting up," Emma snaps.

She turns to Archie who is looking between Emma and August with a bewildered expression on his face. "Is he up to speed?"

Archie nods. "David briefed him." Seeing the expression on Emma's face, he says, "Ah, Emma, this is David Nolan of US Customs, the undercover agent in with Spencer."

Emma looks to the other man, sizing him up. He looks nothing like someone a criminal like Spencer would take in, his smile too warm and friendly. He has the all-American boy look about him, looks like how a prince in one of the fairytales might look. There is no way he could have fooled Spencer into thinking he wasn't working for the cops; there must be another reason that Spencer took him in.

"What's your connection to Spencer?" Emma asks.

Surprise colours David's features. He recovers and says awkwardly, "I had a twin. Spencer adopted him, but he died and so Spencer came looking for me as a replacement." With a grimmer expression on his face, he says, "It was the perfect opportunity to get in so we can make a move on him."

"I see," Emma says. Frowning she says, "Doesn't he know you work for US Customs though?"

David nods. "Yes he does, but he thinks he has flipped me. I feed him enough information to make him think that I'm on his side, although he doesn't truly trust me yet. That' s why we need you."

August cuts in then. "Yeah, you still haven't explained why you need me. I understand that Emma suggested me to you, but it seems like one driver would be enough, and Emma has always been a better driver than me."

"We need a team. People working alone look more suspicious, and we don't want him to dig too deep. It might blow the whole operation," David says.

"Alright," August says, resigned.

"We need to get you guys established here in Miami, so it's time to go. There's a race going on tonight and we need you to participate," David says.

Emma nods and hopes that the cars are up to par.

"If you'll follow me," David says, walking towards the hangar. Archie follows behind him.

"Emma, can I talk to you for a moment?" August says, pulling her back when David and Archie start to enter the hangar. They turn around , looking to August and Emma curiously.

Emma nods at them, says, "We'll be right there," and turns to face August.

"What do you want?" she says, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I just wanted to apologize. I truly am sorry, Emma. I'm sorry that I never visited you. I just felt so guilty because it was my fault." He runs a hand through his hair, looking away and into the sky.

"Your fault?" Emma says, frowning in confusion.

"I'm the reason that you went to juvie. I tipped off the cops," August says, still not looking at her.

"You did what?" Emma asks quietly. She must not have heard him correctly - he couldn't possibly mean...

"I wanted what was best for you, and if you kept up on the path you were going down, it would've turned out badly."

Emma stares at him in horrified rage. "You wanted what was best for me? Do you think spending two years in juvie was what was best for me?"

She throws her hands up in the air in disgust. "Screw you, August."

He opens his mouth to say something but Emma silences him with a look. Forcing her emotions down, the hurt and the betrayal, she focuses her mind solely on the case, her chance to wipe the slate clean and reunite with Killian as a free woman.

"Let's just go," she says and follows David into the hangar.


	10. MTG - 2

**Title: **Match to Gasoline

**Summary: **Sequel to "Driving In Cars With Boys". On her way out of the country, Emma is caught and given the option of either going to jail or going undercover again to bring down a drug kingpin. Faced with a choice that isn't really a choice at all, Emma accepts the case on one condition - that they bring in her childhood friend as her partner - and heads to Miami. Things are not as they seem however and once again Emma is in a race against time to solve the case before things get out of hand.

**Notes: **For everyone worried about whether Killian will be in this fic, trust me, I wouldn't leave him out. I'm not really sure about this chapter, but it needed to be written to get to the fun stuff. Hope you like this chapter, and if anything seems off or rushed, let me know!

* * *

She whistles when she enters the hangar, impressed at the cars they have waiting for them there. Trying to put August's betrayal behind her, she focuses all her thoughts on the cars before her and the impending race.

"Who did you confiscate these beauties from?" Emma says, walking over to the white Skyline. The car gleams in the light, and Emma wishes Killian was there to see it. He'd certainly appreciate the beauty of this car, probably even more than Emma. She shakes her head. She doesn't want to think about him either, doesn't want to dwell on how much she wants him when there is so much at stake.

"We had them built for our purposes," David says. Emma looks up at him, nodding. Looking at her in confusion, he says, "So are they really that good?"

"Well, I'd have to take a look at the engine to know for sure, but from the outside this car is perfect," Emma says.

August pipes in then. He has popped the hood to his red Skyline and is fiddling inside it. "The engine checks out. Emma's right, these cars are perfect."

She doesn't need to pop the hood of her Skyline to confirm his words. August's approval is confirmation enough. He is the one who taught her everything she knows about cars, how to take one apart and rebuild it. She may not trust him with her friendship anymore, not after what he has told her, but she'll trust his knowledge of cars. Behind the wheel of a car, she'd trust him with her life.

"Do you really not know anything about cars?" Emma asks.

David shakes his head. "I don't have a clue, but I know someone who does. You'll be racing for her tonight to prove your worth to me."

Emma takes a moment to process what he has said, and then says to August, who looks just as confused as she felt a moment before, "We still have to make a big splash in the street races down here. We have to be established before he can hire us."

"Makes sense," August says. "It would be suspicious if you hired two unknowns."

"Right," David confirms. "We'll get you set up at two apartments down here and then you'll have to be at the race later tonight. Until then, you'll have the day to yourselves. Keep to yourselves, don't start any trouble. We have enough of that already."

"Okay," Emma says. "We'll follow you to the apartments."

They get into their cars and follow behind David's less flashy one until they reach a row of apartments. David parks at the second apartment building they pass and indicates they should park in the parking lot. August pulls in before her, so he is the first one out of their cars, and the first one to choose an apartment.

"I'll take this one," he says to her, pointing to the second and less nice apartment and handing her the keys to the first. August wasn't exactly a gentleman when they were younger, but he'd always had her back. At least, she thought he had. With what he has recently told her, she doesn't know what to think. The only thing she knows for sure is that the only person she can trust is herself. And Killian, but he isn't here.

Emma hugs her arms to herself, missing Killian painfully as she enters her apartment. It is nowhere as nice as the apartment she had on top of Killian's garage, and she allows herself a brief moment to wonder, if when this is all over, if she could move back in there with Killian. She shakes the hopeful thought away and focuses her attention back on what she is doing. She moves around the room, checking under the phone and in every nook and cranny. When she is satisfied, she exits the apartment, where August is standing just outside the door, watching her.

"What were you doing?" he asks her curiously.

"Checking for bugs," she says. "You should do the same. Cops love their listening devices."

She walks past him and back to where David is waiting.

"I need access to my accounts. Do I have that?" she asks him.

"For what?" he says.

"I don't have any clothes, any food, nothing. Did you forget that a day ago I was on the run from the law?"

She ignores the shocked look that August gives her when he walks over. She sighs inwardly; she may not want to talk to him, but he does deserve to know what he has gotten himself into, agreeing to partner with her.

"I'll make sure that you have access," David says finally. "For you as well August."

"Thanks," Emma says.

"Anything else we should know?" August asks.

"Yeah, um, the person you'll be racing for tonight is a little - she can be strange, but she is a good person," David says.

Emma can read what he isn't saying, can see it in the little smile he has when he talks about the unnamed woman. She knows that look well now. _The look of love_, Ruby would tease.

Emma frowns and hopes that Ruby, Victor, and everyone else are okay. Her and Killian left so fast, they didn't have time to think about the crew. She only wants them to be okay, and she is glad that she made it clear to Archie that they were to be left alone. Maybe she can work out another deal, to find out how everyone is doing. Maybe she can even talk to them, though she isn't sure what she might say or whether they'll want to hear anything she has to say.

"Who is she?" August asks.

David gets a look at that. Finally he says, "She goes by Snow, but her name's Mary Margaret Blanchard. Just call her Snow. She used to work for LAPD as well, but that isn't my story to tell and she doesn't like to be asked about it either."

"Snow," Emma says, mulling this over.

"As in Snow White?" August guesses, voicing Emma's thoughts.

"Yeah," David says. "That isn't my story to tell either."

"So what can you tell us about her? How does she run her races? How much cash do we have to put up front? Can we use NOS?" Emma asks.

David scratches his head and gives them a look of confusion.

"You really don't know anything about street races," August says, letting loose a soft chuckle.

"Just call her and ask her about the cash and NOS; it's the only two things we really need to know," August suggests.

When David turns away from them to make the call, August turns to Emma. He gives her a considering look, and then says, "So, about you being on the run from the law..."

"Well, I went to prison once, I just thought why not try it out again, you know, maybe once wasn't enough," she says sarcastically, aiming to hurt him.

He swallows sharply and says, "I didn't do that to hurt you, you must know that."

"I don't know a damn thing because not only did you send me to prison, but you never even bothered to visit me. And you know, as much as I would like it not to, that hurts more. You couldn't even have the decency to be my friend when I needed you most," Emma says, shocking herself with the words that spill out of her mouth.

"I'm sorry," he says.

"Sorry doesn't cut it, August. I just want to get this case over with so I can continue with my life. You should want the same," she snaps.

He doesn't have the chance to say anything more because David gets off the phone then and says, "NOS is okay, and you need 1500."

Emma turns to August, and despite her anger and her hurt, she smiles as he says, "Make it three grand. We'll give these guys a show."

"Do you have that kind of cash to be throwing away?" David asks.

Emma raises both eyebrows at him. "It's only throwing it away if we lose, and I don't plan to lose."

"Alright," David says. He pulls out a slip of paper and hands it to Emma. "This is the address for the race. Be there by 12:30."

He walks over to his car, and says, "I'll see you two later. Good luck."

"Don't say anything," Emma says to August as David drives off. "I'm going to rest up and then we'll head over to the address at 11:30, get there early to check out the other racers."

"Aye, aye, Captain," August says good-naturedly but it just makes Emma ache inside. She needs to move past this need for Killian. She needs to do her job; she can't be distracted by her feelings, but since she has opened herself up to them, she can't seem to shut them off.

"I need to go," she says just as he opens his mouth to say something else.

"Emma," he calls after her when she starts to walk away. A part of her is tempted to just keep walking and ignore him, but if they're going to be partners, she needs to move past her anger...somehow.

"Yes," she says, turning on her heel to face him.

"I really am sorry," he says.

"I believe you. I just don't forgive you," Emma replies and heads into her apartment, locking the door behind her.

She goes out later to pick up some cash from a local bank and to get some clothes and food, but mostly she just sticks to her apartment. At 11:00, she takes a quick shower, and then she goes outside to wait for August. He comes out of his apartment moments after her.

"So how are we going to do this?" he asks.

"We'll race. Whichever one of us wins, wins."

With a smirk, August says, "I'll see you at the finish line then."

Emma laughs and thinks she can settle into an almost comfortable conversation with him as she says, "You know you never once beat me."

"I beat you plenty of times," August says.

"When I was learning to drive. When I finally got the hang of it, you couldn't outrun me," Emma says.

"Seriously? You're memory is very selective it seems," August comments happily.

"I remember everything very clearly," Emma says. "And you _never_ beat me."

"We'll see tonight then, won't we?" August says, grinning.

"We will," Emma says and walks over to her Skyline. She pops open the hood to make sure everything is in the right place and that she won't have to worry about anything during the race and then climbs into the car.

She drives for a while, past the street closed sign and arrives at some rundown buildings where people are milled about, waiting for the race to begin. She shakes her head at the sight. She doesn't know what it is about street racing that makes women want to strip down to nothing. It isn't her place to judge though so she pushes the thought away and parks at the starting line.

When she gets out of her car, the first thing she hears is someone whistle and then curse in Spanish.

"A woman? Mami, are you sure you can handle a car like that?" the short, Hispanic driver says, leering at her.

Emma gives him a "fuck you" smile and says, "Oh, I can handle it, can you?"

He curses again, this time in English, and says, "I'm gonna show you how a real man drives."

"Call me when you find that "real" man because I sure as hell ain't looking at him," Emma snaps just as someone taps her on the shoulder. She turns around slowly, fighting her instinct to hit first and ask questions later.

"Snow," the dark-haired woman says, looking Emma up and down.

"Emma, Emma Swan," Emma replies, returning the look. With her haircut and her actual Snow White - like visage, Snow looks more like a kindergarten teacher gone bad then an actual street racer, but there is a hard look to her gaze that gives Emma pause. Underestimating this woman would probably be a bad idea.

"You'll be racing for me tonight and I don't like any funny business, so make sure to drive safe -" She breaks off into a laugh, giggling into her hand. "I'm sorry, just don't die. I don't need that. It's bad publicity for the races."

"I'll try not to," Emma says as August walks over to them.

"And you are?" Snow turns to August suspiciously.

"August," he says, throwing on his most charming smile. It doesn't faze Snow, and she continues to stare at him warily.

"He's with me," Emma says. "I'll be beating him and the rest of the bunch this evening."

Snow nods, and her facial expression subsides into a smile. "Good luck with that. These are some of the best racers in town."

Emma looks back at the driver who tried to give her trouble. He blows a kiss at her, and Emma turns back to Snow with a tightlipped smile.

"I certainly hope not," she says.

Snow laughs, loud and amused. "Oh, I like you," she says. She looks through the crowd and obviously finds who she is looking for because she nods and then turns to Emma and August with a more serious expression.

"Racers to me!" she shouts over the crowd. "This race is about to begin."

"Pass up the money," Snow says when all the racers come to her, "1500."

"How about we up the ante?" Emma says then, smiling wickedly. "Let's make it three grand."

"Three grand, oh, Mami, you sure you can risk that?" the annoying driver asks her, echoing David's earlier question.

"It's not a risk for me, though if you want to step down, I can't say I won't be happy to see you go," Emma says fake-sweetly.

Snow laughs and snaps her fingers. "Come on, hand up the money, three grand if you want to stay in the race."

The driver grumbles but slaps the money into Snow's open palm. The other driver, a silent man who looks at Emma as if he is looking through her, hands over the money too.

Emma looks through the crowd until she spots David. He nods at her, and Emma nods back, acknowledging him.

"Racers to your cars," Snow says. "Let's get this race started."

Emma climbs into her car and grips the wheel tightly as she presses her foot to the gas lightly in preparation for the race. She can barely believe that it was only a day ago that she was racing for Victor's life, that she was on her way out of the country to start a new life with her criminal boyfriend. Is this really what her life has come to? It should probably bother her more than it does, but the only thing that really bothers her is that she has to do this before she can try and find Killian.

It is the thought of him that allows her to focus on the race. He would want her to stay focused and win, and that is what she is going to do.

As Snow shouts "Go," Emma doesn't do anything cheesy like say, "This is for you, Killian," but she does think it as she shifts into drive and speeds off down the street.

She hits the first curve in fourth place, right behind the silent driver in his bright green car. She speeds up, hitting the 90 mph mark and moves past him, coming side by side against August's red Skyline. He looks over at her just in time for Emma to wave as she pulls ahead of him.

On the next turn, Emma comes up right behind the annoying driver. His car is good, and infuriatingly, so is his driving. She can't move past him. Every time she tries, he swerves ahead of her. After a while of this, Emma gets fed up and rams her car into the back of his, tearing off his back bumper with the strength of the hit.

"Yes," Emma says, and is about to do it again when he pulls farther ahead of her. He must have hit the NOS on his car.

"Too soon, asshole," Emma mutters.

They come to another curve. Emma smirks as the other racer makes the turn too wide, going too fast to reign his car in. She pulls ahead of him and August follows, hot on her heels.

They speed off down the street and Emma sees that they've almost made the complete circuit. She presses down all the way on her pedal, flying down the street.

"Holy shit, what the hell?" Emma says as the street begins to rise before her.

Must be Snow's idea of a joke or a way of upping the ante. Emma smirks. She can handle this jump, she has no doubt of that. August however...

She looks in her rearview mirror to see that he is still keeping pace with her. _Good._

Emma flips the switch on her NOS just as she hits the raised street and holds onto the steering wheel tightly as she sails into the air. She hits the ground hard, and is surprised that nothing comes loose from the chassis. Still in one piece, Emma drives her car to the finish line, coming to a screeching halt before the crowd of people. August pulls in a minute after her, having survived the jump as well.

Opening the door to her car, Emma climbs out to the cheers of the crowd. Snow comes up to her, slapping the wad of cash into Emma's hands.

"You did well out there. Better than he expected," she says, rolling her eyes and jabbing a thumb in David's direction. Emma looks over to see David giving Snow a bewildered look. Snow hands the wad of cash over to Emma as he walks over to them, shaking his head.

"I didn't expect you to do that," he says to Snow, the bewildered look replaced with a slight smile."I really didn't."

He pauses, shifts to Emma and says, "But it seems have to have separated the men from the boys. You and him, you're in."

Emma looks to the ramp, expecting the rest of the racers to come sailing over it, but none follow. She shakes her head; you have to trust in your car to risk a jump like that, and obviously they don't, so what were they even driving them for? She shrugs. She didn't care whether they made the jump or not - she'd done what she came here to do, and that's all that mattered. It is just the car lover, the part of her that Killian had nurtured while working in his shop, that it bothered. He would be just as disappointed by the other racers as she is.

"So what do we need to do?" Emma says.

"I'll meet you tomorrow, and we'll drive to Spencer's where he'll tell you about the job," David says.

"Sounds like a plan," August says, walking up beside Emma. Emma gives him a look, nodding at him in approval. He smiles at her widely, looking at her like he might ruffle her hair the way he did when they were younger. She warns him away with another look and the smile diminishes.

"You did good," August says. "You beat me."

"I told you I would," Emma says defiantly.

"I know," he says. He pauses, an expression of discomfort crossing his face, and then he says quietly, "Can we be friends again?"

"I don't know," Emma says. "What you did was awful, and I just can't forgive you for it, not yet. Friends don't send their friends to prison. They just don't."

She feels like she isn't just speaking to August when she says that. She had the chance to send her friends to jail too, but she made a different choice. She wonders what August would say if she told him that.

"I understand," he says.

"I certainly hope you do," Emma says. "Now, let's go. Big day tomorrow."

"No doubt," August says.


	11. MTG - 3

**Title: **Match to Gasoline

**Summary: **Sequel to "Driving In Cars With Boys". On her way out of the country, Emma is caught and given the option of either going to jail or going undercover again to bring down a drug kingpin. Faced with a choice that isn't really a choice at all, Emma accepts the case on one condition - that they bring in her childhood friend as her partner - and heads to Miami. Things are not as they seem however and once again Emma is in a race against time to solve the case before things get out of hand.

**Notes: **And I'm really happy about this chapter, hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thank you for all the lovely reviews, keep them coming, they really inspire me.

* * *

Killian knows something is wrong about an hour after he loses Emma. He can hear police sirens in the distance, but the sound keeps moving farther off until he can no longer hear them. Killian continues to make his way to the border, feverishly hoping that he is wrong, that she hasn't been caught.

He reaches San Diego and curses, making a sharp U-turn on a crowded street, earning him angry curses and horn honks but he doesn't care. Killian needs to head back to LA. He needs to get to Emma; he won't be next person to abandon her, not after everything they've been through, not with the hope of being able to start over together.

Killian pulls over to the side of the road. He needs to get to Emma, but first he needs to think. If she has been arrested, going in to the precinct guns blazing will only end up with him in a cell beside her, which wouldn't help either of them. He could always call in to the precinct, agree to turn himself in for Emma's release, but then he'd still be a part from her.

What Killian needs is his crew. Together, he is certain that they could get her out, but if they're not scattered in the wind already, then they're probably rotting in a cell as well - and Victor, he is probably still in surgery. _Shit._

He runs a hand over his face and dials Jefferson's number. It rings and rings and then clicks as someone picks up the phone.

"Hello," he says, his voice hoarse. He clears his throat and repeats, "Hello?"

"Killian, what's going on? Are the cops coming after us?" Jefferson says quickly.

Killian lets out a sigh of relief. If Jefferson's still free and still at home, then that means that the cops know nothing about them, and unless Emma talks, which Killian knows she won't, then they still won't be able to pin the crimes on them.

"We're good, I think, but you can check for certain, right? Hack into the LAPD network or whatnot and see if they have any arrest warrants out for us?"

"Hold on," Jefferson says.

Killian waits on the line until Jefferson comes back. "They have Emma," is the first thing Jefferson says. "It was the only arrest warrant out, and it says that it's been closed." Jefferson pauses and then says, "Killian, what do you want to do? She - well, she was a cop. She could tell them about us."

"She won't," Killian says vehemently. "She saved Victor. She's the reason I'm still a free man. She stopped me when I tried to get revenge on Gold, saved his life and mine, and I - I love her, I _need_ her. I _need_ you to help me get her out."

There is a long pause as Killian waits for Jefferson's response. Finally, Jefferson says, "Okay. What do you need me to do?"

Killian breathes a sigh of relief. "Find out when and where they're taking her. Find Smee, get him back to LA."

"What are you going to do?" Jefferson asks.

"I'm going to go to Ruby in the hospital and check on Victor, and then I'm going to get ready," Killian says.

"Ready for what?"

"Ready to get her back," Killian says, and he hangs up the phone.

The bed feels cold and empty when Emma wakes up in the morning. She doesn't want to open her eyes because she doesn't want to face the reality of Killian not being there, but finally, she tells herself to stop acting like a stupid, heartsick teenager and gets out of bed. After showering and getting ready, she grabs something to eat, and then she calls over to August's room.

"Ready to head over to meet David?" Emma asks.

"No hello or good morning? Geez, Emma, who taught you manners?" August says, sounding still half-asleep.

Emma rolls her eyes. After a night's rest, and some time to think about it...she is still angry that he betrayed her to the cops, still angry that he never visited her, still angry that he wasn't the first or even the last in a long line of people to abandon her. However, she is able to push that anger aside now because right now she could use a friend, and despite what August has done, she still considers him one.

So, instead of snapping at him she says, "Ahahaha, you're hilarious. Just get your butt outside, Booth. I'll be waiting in my car."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he grumbles and hangs up.

Emma stuffs her wallet and the cell phone David gave her in her back pocket, and then exits the apartment. Last night, she had stared at the phone screen for an hour, Killian's cell phone number typed in. Her finger had hovered over the send button but she couldn't bring herself to do it. The cell was probably bugged and she knew that no matter how much she wanted to hear his voice, she needed to keep him out of this for his safety and hers.

_Finish the investigation,_ she keeps telling herself. _Just finish the investigation and worry about everything else after._

She gets into her car and waits for August to come out of his apartment. They're supposed to meet David at Customs at 12, and then drive over to meet Spencer and truly get this investigation off the ground.

August exits and then gets into his car. Emma pulls out of the parking lot and hits the streets. It is a beautiful day to go for a drive, and if only the streets were emptier with less traffic, Emma might actually enjoy the drive to Customs.

When they reach the building, Emma waits in her car until David comes out to meet them.

"I hope you slept well last night, today is going to test you. Are you up for the challenge?"

Emma thinks back to jumping out of a moving car onto a moving truck to save Victor's life. If she can do that without flinching, she can do anything.

"Yes," Emma says. She looks at August, waiting for him to confirm his readiness. August nods and says, "Yeah, of course. I've got Emma by my side - this will be a walk in the park."

David gives August a judging look and says, "Things will not be easy. Spencer is more dangerous than you know. It would be unwise to underestimate him."

"I'm not," August says coolly. "But I think you're underestimating us. We can handle this."

The tone in which he says that makes Emma pause and stare at him. He looks tense, his expression more serious than it has been since he arrived, and Emma knows then that there is something he hasn't told her. She just hopes that whatever it is won't interfere with their investigation.

"Alright," David says, nodding at him.

He then turns to Emma. "I'll be riding with you. Let's go."

Emma doesn't question it. Between her and August, she knows that she is the wild card, the one that needs to be watched. She doesn't resent him for it; he's just doing his job.

He gets into the passenger side of the car and Emma follows him into the car. She starts it up and drives out of the parking lot. He gives her the address of Spencer's house and for a while they drive their in silence, although it is an uncomfortable one. Emma can sense that he wants to break it, wants to say something, and the tension from David holding himself back is almost unbearable.

They stop at a red light. Emma taps her fingers against the wheel nervously. Finally, she gets fed up with the silence, turns to David and says, "Just spit it out."

"What?" David says, eyes widening in surprise.

"You want to say something, just say it," Emma elaborates.

David sighs. "You're right. I just want to know - why? Why did you do it?"

Emma knows exactly what he is asking: why did she destroy her career, break her oath to the law, and decide to become a criminal?

"Sometimes things are complicated," Emma says. "And sometimes they're really, _really_ not. I did it for love. That isn't hard to understand, right?"

"No, it isn't," David says, fixing her with an intense look. Emma is glad for a reason to turn away when the light turns green and she glues her eyes to the road again.

"I guess, as someone who has been undercover for a while, I just can't see myself doing the same thing. But then again, we're not exactly in the same positions. Albert Spencer is no Killian Jones."

It is only Emma's impeccable driving skills that keep her in check and stop her from swerving off the road. As it is, she grips the steering wheel tightly and grits out, "You don't know anything about him or me."

"I'm not saying I do. I'm not saying that at all," David says, holding his hands up in surrender as he tries to diffuse the situation. "You grew to care for him, so obviously there was something there worth caring about. That isn't true of Spencer at all. He is cold, ruthless - the longer I stay with him, the more determined I am to bring him down."

"I see," Emma says, relaxing her grip on the wheel. She glances over at him and for a moment, his expression is as unguarded as when he talked about Snow. He looks tired, but there is a hardness to his eyes. She had thought that being undercover with someone that she was falling in love was hard, but she'd never looked or felt as empty as David looks in this moment.

"It'll be over soon," Emma says, awkwardly trying to offer some sort of comfort. "I'll make sure of that."

She can feel his eyes on her and it is weird, but she feels this affinity towards him, like maybe they understand each other. She doesn't know where the feeling comes from, and she tries to shake it off - she barely knows him - but the feeling remains.

"It's odd," David says, voice humoured, "But you looked just like Snow for a moment there."

"You really love her," Emma comments without thinking.

"How did you - never mind, I've already been told once how easy I am to read in regards to her. Yeah, I do love her, but I don't really want to talk about it, just like you don't want to talk about Jones."

"Understood," Emma says. Changing the subject, she says, "So about Spencer - why _did_ he come looking for you? I understand that he must have been grieving and wanting a part of his dead son back, but there must be another reason."

"I think he just wanted an 'in' at Customs, someone to feed him information. I was the perfect choice," David says.

"But how would he know that he'd be able to flip you? He must've made you prove yourself to him," Emma muses aloud.

_Either that or he's holding something over you._ She doesn't voice this thought, doesn't want him to get wind of her suspicions. Besides, David seems trustworthy enough - she doesn't think her suspicions will pan out anyway, so why voice them?

"You're my way of proving myself to him. If I provide him with drivers that succeed, then I'll be in," David explains. "Which means, you and August are going to end up being on your own at some point. In order for this work, he'll need to trust you guys. So, don't let him down."

Emma nods as she pulls up into a long private street. There are about 6 cars already parked there, fancy, classic, and top of the line cars.

"You didn't tell me there would be other drivers," Emma says.

"August said you can handle this. Prove it to me," is all David says as she parks and drops him off in front of the large private property.

Emma rolls her eyes and then parks across from the other cars. August pulls in beside her. They meet outside of his car. Emma is checking out the other drivers when August sidles up beside her and says, "So what do you think we'll have to do?"

"Eliminate the competition," Emma says as she meets eyes with one of the other drivers. He makes a crude gesture with his hands, licking his lips, and the others laugh.

"Can't wait to do just that," August says, sounding just as pissed and disgusted as Emma feels.

"Mmhmm," Emma echoes.

She looks over to the property where David is talking with two men that remind Emma of Gold's men. Trained bodyguards who look less like humans and more like monsters with vaguely human features. Emma cringes at the thought of having to go up against one of these men. She just hopes it doesn't have to come to that.

"Bit brutish, aren't they?" August says. "Don't look the brightest."

"That's stereotyping," Emma chides good-naturedly.

"Not if it's true," August replies with a chuckle.

"Alright," David yells, quieting them down. "Follow me."

Emma turns to August. "Just follow my lead. Keep your mouth shut."

"What would I say?" August says, hands out, grinning widely at her. She wipes the smile off his face with a look and he sighs, "I'm not going to screw this up, Emma. You seem to think that you're the only one invested in getting this over with without incident. You pulled me into this because you knew you could count on me, so why don't you _count_ on me?"

Emma gives him an apologetic smile, and says, "Okay, hurry up," and follows the rest of drivers onto the property.

They walk up to the driveway where the two thugs pat them down, checking for weapons. Emma resists the urge to hit the man checking her when his hands linger too long over her hips, reminding herself that she has experienced worse in the line of duty, and this is all just a part of getting this thing done.

"Driver's licenses, pass them up this way," David says to the drivers. Emma meets his gaze fast enough that she doesn't miss the look of concern he shoots her way. She wishes there was some way to tell him not to do that, that it'll only get him in trouble if he gets caught looking at her like - like she _matters_ to him.

"We're going to run a full background check, so you better hope that there's nothing to find," David says, a menace in his voice that belies the David that she spoke to in the car, the David who just looked at her like he was worried about her.

"This way now," he says and leads them along a curving garden path to some stairs where Spencer stands, surveying them.

"Thank you for joining me today. I've been assured by my son here that you're a good batch of drivers," Spencer says as David joins him on the stairs. David graces him with a smile and doesn't resist when Spencer pulls him up under his arm in an embrace.

"I'm going to give you the chance to prove him right and earn a job," Spencer says. Murmuring breaks out amongst the other drivers, and Spencer cuts them off and says, "Yes, I said _earn._ Did you really think that you had won so easily? No." He chuckles. "As it stands, I only need one team of drivers, and that team is going to have to prove themselves today."

"This is bullshit," one of the drivers says, prompting a raised eyebrow from Spencer.

"No one has a gun to your head," Spencer replies in a way that says if the man continues talking, that is exactly what will happen. The man wisely quiets.

"Yesterday, the police confiscated my red Ferrari and it is sitting in an impound lot in Little Haiti, about 20 miles from here. The car is on no importance. What _is_ important is the package I left in the glove compartment. The first team back here with the package will get the opportunity to work for me."

"That's all," Spencer says, and turns, walking away past the stairs.

David stares at them. Raising an eyebrow, he says, "Well, what are you waiting for? Go!"

Emma twists around, taking off across the grass at a sprint, August following closely behind. She hears the sound of the other racers chasing behind her and moves faster, the first to reach her car.

"I'm gonna get to the package first!" August says in challenge as she climbs into her car.

"Not likely!" Emma replies, and she makes a perfect u-turn, taking off down the street.


End file.
